28th February 2022 Dr Beena
Hello everyone. Today I received this watercolour painting from Mr Nandakumar. It is fascinating. It is a digital version using a software app called Photoshop. I did a quick read on this. It is an entirely different world out there, and the tools help you create a masterpiece! Now, I am unsure if anyone can entice me into that world. I am somewhat old fashioned and have technophobia☹. So maybe I will skip that kind of art. However, Mr Nandakumar is brave and bold to have ventured into the digital art world. The scene depicts a view from a moving train.
Don’t we all love a train ride, especially when we were young? I used to love those train rides in India. In those days, the train ran on coal as I would be black by the time, I reached my destination☹. Nevertheless, I would be so excited, especially when the train stopped at stations and my mom would buy tea and snacks for us. Somehow those snacks always tasted yummy. I loved to see all kinds of stuff sold but never got to buy any of them. My mom was quite strict about what we could buy. It meant that we were always budget-conscious😉.
The scene that he has painted digitally is in Palghat. It has the oldest railway divisions in India😊. Now, this is exciting as we are musing about trains today😊. I think it is a place where time stood still. However, many prominent people from Palghat are internationally well known. One of the distinguishing features of a train ride in Kerala is the presence of coconut trees and numerous rivers where people go about their daily lives.
As an adult, I have travelled to many parts of the world and used all kinds of trains. One of the scariest train rides I had was in a funicular train called the Flying Dutchman in Cape town, SA. I have been on funicular trains in many places. Honestly, I can’t fathom how one can enjoy picturesque views from such trains☹☹. I am a chicken at heart☹.
In my indelible memory, all of them were scary, the degree varying based on the steepness of the climb. To make matters worse, I think most of the trains will pause for a short while in the middle of that climb. That made me so anxious☹☹. Does anyone know the reason? However, the scenic route that the painting above depicts is calm and cheery😊. I hope you had enjoyable train rides wherever you may have gone. Till the next musing, may you cherish your train rides😊.
2 thoughts on “A Train Ride”
How I would love to, some day, travel on some of the famous trains of the world: The Orient express, of course, the Flying Scotsman, the Swiss one, the East African or the Columbian. I imagine I would keep so busy dreaming lost in the sceneries or taking pictures as pleasant as the one Mr. Nandakumar painted. And let me share something I am a little proud of: I once took the overnight train from KL to Singapore. I was too many decades ago to mention and believe you me, it was quite an adventure!
Thank you Beena for sharing your train experience.
That sounds like an interesting way to paint. There are so many techniques available for painting just as there are so many types of train travel. I love holidays where I can take in a train journey. A memorable one was the Kanchana buri train ride which was part of the Death Railway. Every clickety-clack of the train over the track was like creaking over the bones of the poor souls who built it. It was a very reflective journey.