A constant but very pleasant white noise along with a rocking motion, random people passing by the common corridor most of them being "one of the general mass", vendors, each with their special call selling tea, coffee, unhealthy but very tasty snacks, a strange smell of the bed-roll and me sitting on the top berth and watching everything from there... that is what I remember when I think of "trains" a synonym for the Indian Railways.
Covering thousands of kilometers across the country, railways is probably the only thing that can "mobilize the mass" in its truest sense. How else would the common Indian travel across the country? How else would I ever see villages, rivers, acres and acres of farmlands? Where would I meet the actual India? The India that is far away from the glitter of IT jobs, the one that is never portrayed in Bollywood movies, the one nation you can see if you travel without reservation in a second class compartment. Those people who spread old newspapers and sit on the floor, they bring food from home, they travel with a lot of luggage but they won't mind saving a spot for you if you step out for a moment, they will look after your belongings too and like the old woman on the train to Shimla, a local person from the village would ask over and over again how you are liking the place.
I love the Indian Railways.
Long back, when the British were laying a foundation of their Empire in India, the railways was one of the reasons people from different parts of the wide country met. As they started learning English (another good thing of the British rule that I have to admit) they could communicate with their fellow countrymen who spoke different languages. They found out that the common problem is the British all over the country. They came out of their own tiny worlds and got a broader perspective of where they belonged in the nation. Now the Indian Railways is the world's ninth largest employer.
Over the years things changed, but I still believe if you want to see India, you have to undertake a long train journey. A person once mentioned that he traveled from Delhi to Bangalore and how he realized the diversity of India. As they went south, he said the tea vendors were slowly replaced by coffee vendors, common people from the villages were not wearing churidars, but wearing dhotis. The terrain changed, the climate changed... that was amazing.
There were two long journeys that I took, to Delhi and to Kalka (higher up north from Delhi) from Calcutta. The ones to Kalka involved two straight days of journey and it was in summer when the carriages heat up real bad. And no, we were not traveling in AC compartments. Those were for the "rich people", we were supposed to "learn to endure" the heat. It was hot, yes extremely hot but my memories of that journey is very pleasant. Those journeys were the times to play indoor games with other kids, they may be from our own party or maybe not, could be just random kids from the next coupe. We would share food with other families, especially the other kids. For those few days people sharing the coupe or even people from nearby coupes became like family. I remember an older lady could not start eating her dinner because I was still awaiting mine. She said, "how can we start eating when that kid hasn't got her food yet." For the more introvert types, those long journeys were the time to read. I remember my brother climbing up to the top berth and reading a book all day. For the thoughtful ones, they could just sit next to a window and look out. I think that is the best part of traveling by train. Villages, small temples, rivers (yes I remember the junction of Ganga and Yamuna seen from the train), level crossings all zoom by. You can see farmers working, villagers going to rural markets, little kids waving at passengers from a passing train....
And I need to mention the stations. There are big junctions which are crazy crowded and then there are tiny village stations, homely and rural. Sometimes you would get down to quickly get a cup of tea, sometimes you'd fill your bottle with water, or get something to eat. Those are experiences which can't really be explained but need to be felt :)
The thing I don't like in the trains are the bathrooms. I have heard that originally there were no bathrooms at all. Then one man wrote a letter (in hilarious English) which made the authorities to consider his proposal. Anyway, the ones we have now are ones which sometimes make me wonder at times if the no bathroom model would have been more hygienic. Anyway, I am not going to discuss those gross things here.
I don't know if I would have enough time to afford to have a train journey sometime when I visit India, but the one that will remain in my memory consists of watching the sun rise from the train window, feeling a nice breeze, having coffee in minuscule cups, eating food from a strange square shaped plate with in built bowls, chatting with co-passengers and finding the real India!
Note: I am reading in the news that a makeover is coming up for the railways, which includes cleaner bathrooms, hygienic kitchens, cleaner sheets and blankets and better quality food. I do hope they work on it fast because I so want to see the lifeline of our country prosper.
Covering thousands of kilometers across the country, railways is probably the only thing that can "mobilize the mass" in its truest sense. How else would the common Indian travel across the country? How else would I ever see villages, rivers, acres and acres of farmlands? Where would I meet the actual India? The India that is far away from the glitter of IT jobs, the one that is never portrayed in Bollywood movies, the one nation you can see if you travel without reservation in a second class compartment. Those people who spread old newspapers and sit on the floor, they bring food from home, they travel with a lot of luggage but they won't mind saving a spot for you if you step out for a moment, they will look after your belongings too and like the old woman on the train to Shimla, a local person from the village would ask over and over again how you are liking the place.
I love the Indian Railways.
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| Source: Wikipedia |
Long back, when the British were laying a foundation of their Empire in India, the railways was one of the reasons people from different parts of the wide country met. As they started learning English (another good thing of the British rule that I have to admit) they could communicate with their fellow countrymen who spoke different languages. They found out that the common problem is the British all over the country. They came out of their own tiny worlds and got a broader perspective of where they belonged in the nation. Now the Indian Railways is the world's ninth largest employer.
Over the years things changed, but I still believe if you want to see India, you have to undertake a long train journey. A person once mentioned that he traveled from Delhi to Bangalore and how he realized the diversity of India. As they went south, he said the tea vendors were slowly replaced by coffee vendors, common people from the villages were not wearing churidars, but wearing dhotis. The terrain changed, the climate changed... that was amazing.
There were two long journeys that I took, to Delhi and to Kalka (higher up north from Delhi) from Calcutta. The ones to Kalka involved two straight days of journey and it was in summer when the carriages heat up real bad. And no, we were not traveling in AC compartments. Those were for the "rich people", we were supposed to "learn to endure" the heat. It was hot, yes extremely hot but my memories of that journey is very pleasant. Those journeys were the times to play indoor games with other kids, they may be from our own party or maybe not, could be just random kids from the next coupe. We would share food with other families, especially the other kids. For those few days people sharing the coupe or even people from nearby coupes became like family. I remember an older lady could not start eating her dinner because I was still awaiting mine. She said, "how can we start eating when that kid hasn't got her food yet." For the more introvert types, those long journeys were the time to read. I remember my brother climbing up to the top berth and reading a book all day. For the thoughtful ones, they could just sit next to a window and look out. I think that is the best part of traveling by train. Villages, small temples, rivers (yes I remember the junction of Ganga and Yamuna seen from the train), level crossings all zoom by. You can see farmers working, villagers going to rural markets, little kids waving at passengers from a passing train....
And I need to mention the stations. There are big junctions which are crazy crowded and then there are tiny village stations, homely and rural. Sometimes you would get down to quickly get a cup of tea, sometimes you'd fill your bottle with water, or get something to eat. Those are experiences which can't really be explained but need to be felt :)
The thing I don't like in the trains are the bathrooms. I have heard that originally there were no bathrooms at all. Then one man wrote a letter (in hilarious English) which made the authorities to consider his proposal. Anyway, the ones we have now are ones which sometimes make me wonder at times if the no bathroom model would have been more hygienic. Anyway, I am not going to discuss those gross things here.
I don't know if I would have enough time to afford to have a train journey sometime when I visit India, but the one that will remain in my memory consists of watching the sun rise from the train window, feeling a nice breeze, having coffee in minuscule cups, eating food from a strange square shaped plate with in built bowls, chatting with co-passengers and finding the real India!
Note: I am reading in the news that a makeover is coming up for the railways, which includes cleaner bathrooms, hygienic kitchens, cleaner sheets and blankets and better quality food. I do hope they work on it fast because I so want to see the lifeline of our country prosper.
1 comment:
tomar sange amar onek common memory achhe aar amar nije chhotobelar gulo o achhe. ashakori railways er notun byabostha hobe - ta hole abar train e chorar katha bhaba jabe
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