India, May 6 -- Train journeys have always held a special charm for me, rooted in a cache of memories from trips with my mother and brother to our grandparents' sleepy town in Haryana. Those were the days of steam engines chugging at an unhurried pace, stopping at every station. Travel wasn't about speed; it was about the journey itself, punctuated by the ritual of carefully packed lunch boxes and water flasks.

Today, those who can afford it opt for the sky or high-speed luxury trains. While flying is undeniably efficient for a life on the move, it has quietly robbed us of the simple joys of a bygone era. The classroom-like seating of planes and non-stop luxury trains discourages interaction; passengers sit upright in cramped rows, eyes ...