I apologize for writing in after a long break. I was caught up with my engineering exams and also I had to perform my duties of being the placement coordinator of the college placement committee. The spark of inspiration that ignited this piece of work was my train journey to Bangalore – the Silicon valley of India. I had gone on behalf of the college placement committee to invite top IT companies for campus placements. 

Journeys are a real test of self. Especially when you don't have your family or friends along with you ,with whom you can atleast exercise your vocal chords. While traveling with strangers, whom you may possibly never see in your entire life, puts you in a dilemma. You can neither open up completely to them nor can remain silent.

After the initial hour of settling down comfortably on our seat, we finally sit back and analyze. The lively and exciting experiences of the day percolate into fond moments of memory, to be cherished in the future. We think of what we might miss when we are away, and how exciting and fruitful is our stay going to be at our destination.

When the mouth is shut, and the ears are jacketed with the spongy ear-plugs of a walkman, the mind works overtime. We start thinking of people around us, accompanying us in the journey. We form a pre-image of each and every person, as to how he or she might be as a person. We also gauge how better we are than the other person, and try to boost our never-say- die ego. This pre-image speculation is a morsel of everyone's thought. This is the imaginative unnecessary force, which restricts our interaction with our co-travelers. Sometimes the case being different, we even search for an opportunity to speak with fellow travelers. Especially if the person is of the opposite sex and seems to be interesting, or when we want to put forward our so called "valuable inputs" into the arguments of others.

Sit back and question. Are we justified in analyzing and categorizing other people? Are we ourselves so perfect that we can judge others according to thoughts we get, which might not be necessarily true. Before slotting have we ever tried imagining ourselves in the other persons shoes?

Everything is in the mind. Its up to us to let logic prevail over suspicions.