Train of thoughts on lost love of reading

After wrestling through a sea of people in the sleeper class of my train journeys, I gave in to the comfort and upgraded to the AC compartment.

- Tarsem Singh Deogan

Sure, it cost nearly three times as much, but the relief of having an assured berth without the pushing, pleading, or negotiating to reclaim the seat 'd paid for was worth every rupee. The chilled air, though artificial, brought peace. For once, I wasn't clutching my bag tightly, nor was I being nudged awake every hour by a fellow passenger claiming I was on their seat.

But comfort, I soon realised, came with its own kind of chaos. The compartment buzzed with a strange new energy, not the kind born of shared conversation or spontaneous laughter, but that of digital distractions. It was a babble of screens. During my recent journey to Indore, the AC coach echoed not with the familiar rhythm of train wheels, but with a cacophony of sounds from smartphones. Videos and reels played loudly on almost every phone, as if the passengers were trying to outdo each other with the volume rather than the content.