Train to Pune

One 63 yr old Tam Brahm patti!
3 typical marathi women who can't stop talking.
The Mother to 2 of the marathi women and the aunt for one of them
Me.

That is the passenger list for seat nos 9-14 on Lokmanya TT, which has been renamed to confuse my limited brain, since the ticket says, Lokmanya TT, the railway station announcer says, Kurla Exp...
But that's another story and not half as interesting.

The patti won't eat a thing on the journey. The women have some splendid cookies which they offer and I gratefully accept.

I have Vikram Seth's A Suitable Boy for company. The marathi women have 3 magazines, which have articles such as "Jeevan Jyothi" etc. The patti just stares into the vast countryside, blankly.

The best part of the journey, me with my Seth, the 3 women with the mags,their mother on the top berth and the patti sleeping !

It was like we had an exam when we got to Pune. We were all reading with seriousness until the flies began coming in. Got thru abt 300 pages till the flies insisted on sharing the book!