Upendra Babu

The Turnouts - Tribute to a Distant Star Upendra Babu

A 'Child', having sighted a distant bright star through the doorway of a coach of the train he is travelling in, recapitulates priceless memories of the bond he shared with this Star. The story, woven around emotional highpoints in the life of the 'Child', is centered on precious moments with this Star, with its own share of satire and inflexibility. The emotional transitions the 'Child' experiences during a train journey, switches tracks almost at the same pace as the train (if not faster!). And, this journey unfolds itself on a larger-than-life canvas, 'The Turnouts'...... ..... The train, piercing through dense fog and clipping at breathtaking speed with a rhythmic rattle at turnouts, seemed to be in a greater hurry to end its journey. On opening the huge metallic door of the coach that I was in, a gust of chilled air gushed into the coach engulfing me. It was a bright starlit night. A distant star, pinned to a conspicuous corner of the vast bright canvas of the night sky, caught my attention. The star, with a smooth sparkle and simmering warmth, seemed unusually bright. The star's brightness piercing through the dense fog and its warmth overpowering the chillness around was trying to reach out to me with a message. The Star was probably trying to convey something to me and it did, resulting in a volcano of emotions, with the speeding train shifting tracks on each turnout, oblivious of the turmoil within.