^{With my numerous trips to Japan, I get to ride a lot of trains. I have enjoyed exceptional journeys too on Australia’s famous Ghan and Indian Pacific trains, and some trips on European and British trains. Toot toot!}

^{The journey that stands out in my mind was a December trip in a lower class carriage on a train in India where I unexpectedly experienced the warmth and kindness of my fellow passengers.}

^{It was the mid 1970’s, and after nearly 50 years, my memory of the trip is hazy. I was on a tight backpacker’s budget, so I’m fairly certain I was travelling long distance in Unreserved General Class (UR) – the cheapest class in India. It certainly wasn’t luxury!}

^{It was crowded and grubby. I did have a seat – I remember it was a nice shade of blue. Funny things, memories! I also remember the carriage smelt strongly of Indian food. People had mostly brought their own for the trip. Remarkably, there was a drinks service selling tea in white cups and saucers.}

^{I’d been warned to only drink my tea or coffee piping hot in India, and never ever add milk. I wasn’t too fussed with the idea of no milk, so I stuck with the only other two drinks recommended: France’s bottle Perrier water and Coca Cola. These two, I was told, were stringent about their bottling process, and safe to drink.}

^{I was familiar with Coca Cola, but I was introduced to bottled water for the first time in my travels that year. Who would have thought bottled water would become so popular today! The advice seemed to work well, as I never got deli belli in India.}

^{The journey became particularly memorable when a beggar in dirty rags came into my carriage. He was a frightening character to see. My travelling companion and I were the only foreigners in the carriage, and he made a bee line for us – particularly me – I must have looked the most vulnerable and the most likely to hand over money.}

^{I probably looked affluent to him, but the truth was my finances were stretched on a tightrope in grave danger of snapping! There was a good reason I was in that carriage. I couldn’t afford anything better. I was coming to the end of a year’s travelling adventure and was on the homeward trail, with years of savings were running out.}

^{I was shocked as the beggar confronted me, getting up close and very personal. Very insistent too. I did not know what to do, other than shake my head furiously and tell him ‘no’ repeatedly. Terrified would not be too strong a word.}

^{I’d been warned to never give money to beggars in India as they will only push for more, and before you know it, you’ll be surrounded by other beggars. Apparently, it can be a very organised business!}

^{A better idea, if you want to help, is to go directly to a place in need, such as an orphanage, a hospital or women’s shelter, and give there.}

^{Many years later a friend was admitted to an Indian hospital in Chennai, and found the only TV screen it had was used in the operating theatre. My friend, grateful for the life saving care he had been given, asked what could he donate. The hospital asked for more televisions, and he ensured their delivery.}

^{Back to my story – here I was in this dark and dirty train, besieged by this man who looked like something out of a zombie movie.}

^{It was then that it seemed the whole carriage rose up in one voice to save me. I have no idea what my fellow passengers shouted out to the beggar, but pretty sure it was something like – “leave her alone and get off the train, or else!” It probably was expressed a lot strongly than that because this bloke turned heel fast and disappeared from the carriage.}

^{There were warm, caring smiles all round as people throughout the carriage assured me in English they would not let any beggars come near me again. English, by the way, is widely spoken in India.}

^{On that train, I suddenly felt part of a family – safe within an envelope of friendship and kindness from people I did not know.}

^{There were lots of other outstanding memories on my journey through India. Sadly, not a lot of photos survive as many were lost in poor processing – yes, it was film back then. And others have been lost over time.}

^{I don’t have any photos remaining of my train journey – though they could be buried amongst my hundreds and hundreds of slide photos from the 1970’s. I did take the photos in this article during my time in India.}

^{Did I feel compassion for the beggar? Honestly, I was too frightened for that. But I did receive a gift of caring humanity that day – nearly half a century later, I still appreciate that.}