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If life is a journey than, in
India at least, it chugs along on two parallel steel
lines… the railways. No reference here to the local
trains of Mumbai, India’s commercial capital, where
citizens spend a substantial portion of their waking hours
commuting increasing distances within ever expanding
city-limits.
This one is grand - a vast
rail network criss-crossing the length and breadth of the
country, spanning over plains and rivers, through forest
and deserts, reaching out to the obscurest of villages and
connecting them to the rest of this immense, wonderful
conglomeration of people, towns, animals, history and
culture, that is India.
While air travel saves you
time and driving by road lends flexibility to your
schedule, there is really no better way to know India than
by train. The general compartment especially is a
startling microcosm of the multi-caste, multi-lingual
eclecticism of the country that immediately disarms you
with its robust back-thumping welcome. No formalities here
as you are expected to roll up your sleeves and join in
the abundant overflow of food, drink, conversation.
Personal details are unabashedly pried into, common ground
or acquaintances traced over a maze of memory, addresses
exchanged and promises to visit, made…
A long Indian railway
journey is an unparalleled display of the lay of the land.
As the train traverses across different states it unfolds
a fascinating tapestry of gradually changing landscapes,
people, houses, shops and signboards. From my favourite
perch, on the steps at the door, I have never failed to
harvest intimate glimpses into rural life: a peasant
tending his field or enjoying a meal under a shady tree, a
young cowherd driving a boisterous herd to pasture, women
transporting water over a parched terrain, a herd of deer
peeping nervously through dappled afternoon shadows…
And then there are the
numerous wayside stations, bustling centers of busy
activity. Often no more than small shacks, these centers
of village activity can be refreshingly beautiful, shaded
by trees and with small well-tended gardens around them.
But even more poignant are the isolated rail cabins or
outposts that occur, seemingly in the midst of wind swept
desolation, as a lone railway official holds out a green
flag to give each train an all-clear sign as it hurtles
by.
It’s then that it strikes
you how this gigantic organization, the Indian Railways,
the world’s biggest public sector employer, is so
critically dependent for its smooth everyday functioning
on all the various little cogs that keep its wheels
turning, right down to the guy who covers an allocated
distance on foot daily, manually checking the screws in
the fish plates to see that everything is right.
A humbling thought
really…
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About
The Author
Roozbeh
Gazdar
Copywriter by profession, works for traveljini.com. |
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