Exploring India's Soul Through Its Epic Railway Journeys
In the bustling heart of Kozhikode railway station in Kerala, a food vendor serves snacks to passengers, capturing a slice of daily life on India's vast rail network. This scene, as described by novelist Rahul Bhattacharya, epitomizes the intimate and epic nature of train travel in this diverse nation. According to Bhattacharya, being a passenger in India is "a full-blooded immersion in the local," offering a unique window into the country's soul.
The Palimpsest of Indian Railways
Bhattacharya draws a parallel between India's layered history, likened by former Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru to a palimpsest, and the railway journeys that inscribe memories of fellow travellers, languages, landscapes, and climate on the mind. He recalls a grueling 1998 journey from Mumbai to Dehradun during a brutal summer of nuclear testing, where temperatures soared past 50°C and the trip stretched over 50 hours. Despite the hardships, including melting rubber soles and scorching winds, he later looked back with affection after completing an expedition from the Arabian Sea to a Himalayan glacier.
Personal Reflections and Novel Inspirations
This memory influenced Bhattacharya's latest novel, Railsong, where the protagonist undergoes a heat-addled odyssey, sustained by the benevolence of strangers. Alighting in Bombay, now Mumbai, she stands beneath the gargoyles of the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj terminus, symbolizing a transformative experience. Bhattacharya argues that no other activity, so accessible to all, reveals India as wholly as train travel, a sentiment echoed by Mahatma Gandhi, who initially criticized railways but later used them to understand his country.
The Exposing Nature of Sleeper Travel
Bhattacharya highlights sleeper travel as a deeply exposing experience, sharing compartments with strangers that often lead to invigorating encounters. On an overnight trip from Mumbai to Delhi, he traveled with three policemen on a manhunt, whose stories unfolded over the journey, including chases across states and mistaken identities. Such interactions, he notes, are common and enrich the travel experience, offering glimpses into India's complex social fabric.
Culinary Companions on the Rails
Food remains a crucial aspect of Indian train journeys, despite the decline of dining cars and regulations on platform fare. Bhattacharya describes seasonal delights like farm-fresh lychees, custard apples, and mangoes available at halts. Specific routes offer local specialties: on the Mumbai-Pune route, vendors at Karjat serve vada pav, while Lonavala offers chikki and chocolate walnut fudge. In southern states, breakfasts of ograni provide a peppy start, and sharing homemade tuck with new friends adds to the camaraderie.
Family Journeys and Sustainable Travel
For Bhattacharya and his family, train travel is a pleasurable, affordable, and sustainable choice. They frequently journey from Delhi to Assam, traversing the Gangetic plains, tea gardens, and the Siliguri Corridor, with trips sometimes extending past 35 hours. His young daughters prefer these rail adventures over flights, which they find claustrophobic. Delays, often caused by dramatic events like bridge collapses or derailments, offer instructive insights into Indian life, though they can be tragic, as seen in incidents involving pilgrims or accidents.
Embracing Passenger Services for Local Immersion
Bhattacharya highly recommends passenger trains for a full-blooded local immersion, noting the diversity in dress, produce, and food vendors at unknown halts. He recounts a 2012 monsoonal journey in Assam where a passenger train halted due to a fatal accident, highlighting the raw realities of travel. Despite such challenges, he emphasizes that on Indian railways, the intimate and epic, local and national, are intertwined, creating a holistic experience that mirrors the narratives of certain novels.
In summary, Indian train travel offers a profound way to understand the country's essence, blending personal reflections with broader cultural insights, making it an unforgettable adventure for any traveler.
