My Only Ambition

Because my father was a train inspector, we could travel free all over India. I used to enjoy riding on the train so much. The trains were long, with many seats inside. In those days they were not so crowded. Now they are very crowded; there is no room. Indian trains were like bullock carts - thirty miles per hour. Whenever we went on the train, everybody in the family used to fall asleep during the trip, but I couldn't wait to see the next station. There people used to carry things on their heads, and they had a peculiar way of shouting, 'Tea!' and other things. My mother, brothers and sisters all used to sleep, but there was no sleep for me! My only ambition was to become a ticket collector or an inspector like my father. He started out as an ordinary inspector. Then he became head inspector of the whole line. But God didn't fulfill my desire!

[Excerpt from "My Only Ambition" in Awakening by Sri Chinmoy, Citadel Books, 1988, p.12]