BOBKANNAN BLOGS

Three years he lived in USA and back in India, got a chance to go to the same place and also to the same house for stay on a month's duty after a year. Yet there was no excitement in the youngster and he finished the trip mechanically and officially. I was in a similar situation three decades ago to visit Baroda, after one year of leaving Gujarat after eight years of stay in Gujarat. Right from the time I was assigned the job, I planned my travel/meeting/events other than official to relive my happy days. With the advantage of not having telephone or easy communication like email my visit was a pleasant surprise to many. When I look back and compare the two I wonder what is so different then. It is one syllable word 'Technology'. While the distance travelled by youngsters are too long today they still do not feel the separation from home due to Google talk, Skype, email and other communication facilities. Above all there is no compulsion to be cut of...

"Mumbai Jati Gujarat Express" was all that I heard sitting in the first class waiting room, and glancing at my watch I rushed to the train in the same platform and jumped into it and sat down in seat no 7. As the train immediately started moving I also heard in the announcement "Ahmadabad Jati Gujarat Express". I banged my head for my stupidity of getting engrossed in the novel of James Hadley Chase (my all time favorite) and entering a train not knowing whether it goes to Mumbai or in the opposite side to Ahmadabad as both the trains reach Surat almost around 11 am. I was new to the job as officer in the bank and also new to Surat and the training in Mumbai made my first class travel a dream day. But all the happiness vanished as I did not know which direction the train is going. None challenged my seat in the jam-packed train gave me the comfort that it is my correct seat yet I was apprehensive.  There were four passengers facing each other. Tw...