Seventy-five hours on the Vivek Express

India's longest train route, 4,200-odd kilometres, and I did the whole thing in sleeper because I wanted to know what it felt like. It felt like a small moving town.

By Guwahati the compartment had sorted itself into families. By Vijayawada an uncle from Tenali had fed me three times and told me I was too thin. The chai changes every state and I started keeping notes: Assam strong, Bengal sweet, Andhra ginger, Tamil Nadu — actually filter coffee.

Sleeper ticket end to end: ₹1,200-ish. Carry a lock, a bedsheet, and at least one book you don't mind lending.