One of my earliest memories is from the early 1960s of a few hours spent at the Madras Central railway station. My mother and I had travelled from Mangalore, and we were to take another train to Nagpur on our way to Bhilai.
We were opposite a counter in the reservation office. Amma handed over some document to the bespectacled gentleman who immediately opened up a register. He looked at Amma’s document and looked into the register a few times and finally, in an authoritative tone said, "Congratulations, Mrs Udupa, your reservation is confirmed in the Grand Trunk. Have a pleasant journey." I was impressed by his demeanour.
I asked Amma what this was all about. She explained to me that a telegram had been sent from Mangalore for reservation by the next train; he had checked and informed her that it was confirmed. But the manner in which he congratulated Amma and mentioned "Grand Trunk" remains indelible in my memory. Though almost everyone refers to it as the GT Express, for me, after that incident it has always been "The Grand Trunk".
Amma then took me to the Higginbothams book stall. It was well spread out, with books, magazines and newspapers neatly arranged. Amma took her time there and made a few purchases. We then spent some time in a refreshment room.
Those few hours at Madras Central made an everlasting impression on me. The high point of all my Bhilai-Nagpur-Madras-Mangaluru train journeys during school vacations and later when I joined college in Mangalore, would be the time spent at Madras Central.
Coming back to this journey, when we reached Bhilai, father was at the station to receive us. He took me in his arms, and asked me about my grandparents at Mangalore. All that I was interested in telling him again and again was, "Congratulations, Mrs Udupa, your reservation is confirmed in the Grand Trunk. Have a pleasant journey." To his amusement, I also mentioned "Higginbothams", thus impressing him with the two big words I had learnt recently.
During our next visit to Madras Central, on my insistence, my parents took me to the reservation office but that gentleman was not to be found. Appa made some enquiries and learnt that he had migrated to Australia. But the Higginbothams stall and the many refreshment outlets continued to hold their sway on me.
Madras Central had something new to offer almost every time I passed through it. Once we found that the staff of one of the refreshment rooms were differently abled women. I thanked the women who had attended to us. Amma was quick to note that my words did not have any impact on her as she was hearing challenged. Amma insisted that I thank her by bowing respectfully. When both Amma and I thanked her this way, tears welled up in her eyes and she instinctively hugged both of us.
A few years later, Madras Central introduced a free luggage trolley service. Those were the days before the advent of wheeled luggage and the trolley was a great boon to passengers. The range of passenger amenities within the station kept improving. Whether food and snacks or other daily need items, Madras Central seemed to have them all.
In the mid-1970s, a direct train was introduced between Delhi and Mangalore. But I refused to travel by it. First, it was not the Grand Trunk. Most important, it did not pass through Madras Central. I was unwilling to miss any opportunity to spend a few hours at Madras Central. And why would I forgo those trips to Mount Road or Moore Market, from Madras Central?
In September 2019, I was back there after almost 38 years. Now Chennai Central, it did not fail to charm me again. I had my favourite snacks and sipping rose milk, went to Higginbothams to buy some reading material. Standing there, I gazed into the distance and almost saw a three-year-old prancing around, saying in every possible tone, "Congratulations, Mrs Udupa!"