What if I say there is a sense of serenity within a bustling railway station? I know you would all say I have renounced the very last ounce of sanity I possessed, for I would have said the same not so long ago. However, lately, I have been commuting a lot by train. And even though Delhi station remains as chaotic as ever, the last time I traveled from there, I realized the serenity a station possesses.

As I sat on a bench, waiting for my train, I made several observations. I witnessed the happiness that can be found in a railway station. Whether it was a student, like me, returning home, or a family waiting with all their luggage on the platform, eagerly awaiting their long-awaited vacation. I also noticed the somberness that pervades the station, as I saw a man clutching the ashes of his father, his eyes heavy with unshed tears and I looked further only to unravel a soldier bidding farewell to his ailing mother, his smile tinged with anxiety and sorrow. It could have been their final goodbye and the anguish in a child’s eyes as he had to leave all his friends behind due to his father’s transfer. I did encounter dreamy eyes in a barely teenage boy who migrated from the countryside, hoping for a brighter future. Yet, I also witnessed the tired and weary eyes of a grown man who had come to terms with the reality of his life—a daily journey between two towns, ensuring his stomach doesn’t ache every night. All these emotions unfolded before my eyes as I sat bored on a barely maintained platform.

For these reasons, I can confidently say that there is a sense of serenity within the bustling and bawling station. As a young man in his twenties, I somehow completed a lifelong journey in mere an hour or so on a railway platform. So, I ask you: Can you not find appeal in the myriad of emotions one can encounter and discover the serenity within this labyrinth-like life?