What is the romanticism and mystery that envelopes 'The Night Train at Deoli'?

Answer 1

"The Night Train at Deoli" by Ruskin Bond is enveloped in romanticism and mystery due to its evocative portrayal of a chance encounter between the narrator and a young girl selling baskets at a remote train station. The story captures the fleeting nature of human connections and the longing that arises from missed opportunities. The mysterious allure of the girl, who remains nameless and elusive, adds to the sense of nostalgia and unresolved emotions that linger long after the encounter.

Answer 2

Mystery, as suggested by the standard dictionary definition, is an event or a thing, which is difficult or impossible to comprehend, understand or explain. The very mention of the term baffles one's thoughts. A mystery purveys the elements of shock and awe, and is a treat for the reader's deductive imagination.

Romanticism is the learned definition of the state of being enamored. It accounts for unrequited thoughts or actions performed or influenced by a person, who would otherwise, not invoke similar behavior.

Romanticism validates strong emotion as an authentic source of aesthetic experience, placing new emphasis on such emotions as trepidation, Horror, and awe-especially that which is experienced in confronting the sublimity of untamed nature and its picturesque qualities, both new aesthetic categories. It elevates folk art and ancient custom to something noble, makes spontaneity a desirable characteristic (as in the musical impromptu), and argues for a "natural" epistemology of human activities as conditioned by nature in the form of language and customary usage. Romanticism reaches beyond the rational and classist ideal models to elevate a revived medievalism and elements of art and narrative perceived to be authentically medieval in an attempt to escape the confines of population growth, urban sprawl, and industrialism, and it also attempts to embrace the exotic, unfamiliar, and distant in modes more authentic than harnessing the power of the imagination to envision and to escape.

In our present context of an elegant story beautifully penned by Ruskin Bond, 'The Night Train to Deoli', we come across a delicate plot of mystery, romanticism, exquisite places, kaleidoscopic images, overwhelming innocence and compassionate love. How often do we remember these things? If we don't, and we wish to do, then a striking analog is the discussed story.

'The night train at Deoli' has such a mesmerizing romance that will lift into a space of love. How a school boy fell in love with a basket selling girl in their first meet, how his first meet, hardly-communicated longing turns into a feverish desperation in love. 'The Eyes have it' a romantic story mixed with suspense which brings it to a height of love at the end of story.

The Night Train at Deoli is narrated in first person by a college boy who travels by the night train from Delhi to Dehra Dun every year to spend his summer vacations at his grandmother's place. On its journey up the hills of the terai, early in the morning, the train stops at Deoli, a lonely station in the wilderness… "Why it stopped at Deoli. I don't know. Nothing ever happened. Nobody got off the train and nobody got in…and then the bell would sound, the guard would blow his whistle, and presently Deoli would be left behind and forgotten" - the description is brilliant, so breathtaking in its simplicity.

On one such journey the boy sees a girl at Deoli, selling baskets, and is smitten by her… "I sat up awake for the rest of the journey. I could not rid my mind of the picture of the girl's face and her dark, smoldering eyes".

He looks out for her on his return journey and is thrilled when he sees her… "I felt an unexpected thrill when I saw her…I sprang off the foot-board and waved to her. When she saw me, she smiled. She was pleased that I remembered her. I was pleased that she remembered me. We were both pleased, and it was almost like a meeting of old friends", portrays the quality of the writing.

It is time for the train to leave, and for the lovers to part… "I felt the impulse to put her on the train there and then…I caught her hand and held it… 'I have to go to Delhi,' I said…she nodded, 'I do not have to go anywhere.'…the guard blew his whistle…and how I hated the guard for doing that…"

The story is beautifully poignant, being marvelously written, touches the very fragile chords of your heart.

The boy on his return trip and the trips thereafter does not meet the girl at the station anymore. He describes his state of anxiety and anguish for not finding the girl he fell in love with.

Yet, the story does not leap into the fictitious 'boy delivers his lover girl from misery' route. The student, though lightly intending to break his journey at Deoli many a time to look around the city and finding the whereabouts and the events with the girl, never actually does so. To him, the girl forever remains a mystery, a source of enigma. He does not tread into the life of the girl outside the platform, or launches a search for her, perhaps not the spoil the element of mystery that has inhabited his mind for her. He seems to be afraid of discovering about her, dreading about anything unfortunate that could have befallen her and wants to retain his sweet memories of her & not allow it to be spoilt with unfortunate events.

The author suggests to his readers that the boy did not want to project himself like a hero of a movie where the hero would meet his sweetheart going through all hardships and win her over. He prefers to keep hoping and dreaming, waiting for the girl.

The author brings the readers to a realistic world rather than a fictitious, imaginary, unreal world, driving home the fact that life is not like a fiction novel or a movie; losing and gaining becomes part of life's journey that needs to be taken in our stride. Life is a constant process, which cannot be stopped. We can only carry memories forward while life goes on.

The story brings to us a scenario, we aren't much unfamiliar with. In fact, the climax of the story is not only realistic; it is common in daily lives. Yet, the mystery that engulfs the entire occurrence of events is noteworthy. Though the reader may gauge the course of action to follow, he cannot help but make deductions of the events. The feeling of romanticism is the also the stem of the story. The feeling of love has actually elevated a common story of a student meeting an ordinary basket selling girl. It is this feeling of affection that renders the story worthy of attention. The reader can easily connect the story element with events in his own life, his own first love, which is unrequited. There lies the success of the appeal of this tender tale, and it progresses from being a good read to a superbly entertaining narration.