The Indian Railways has come a long way since it was introduced in the 19th century. Its first priority was troop movement and then carriage of goods from the hinterland to industrial centres and ports.
Stationmasters, ticket examiners, porters in red shirts and cacophonous vendors on platforms were the pillars of the railway community. Not to forget the railway refreshment rooms with their typical vegetarian and non-vegetarian fare.
The railway quarters with wicker gates beside the stations have started dwindling. The ubiquitous water tanks at stations showed their capacity in litres. The semaphore signalling system has been replaced by the automatic light signals. A compartment with "RMS" painted on it seen in most trains carried the mail.
Modernity, some say, has ended the romance with the railways. Privatisation is in the offing. Has the railway as a means of travel become passé? More people have started flying. Flight tickets have become cheaper and with rising standards of living, people prefer flights to rail travel. It has become a symbol of status.
But we who grew up with railway travel are nostalgic about railways. Nostalgia, it is said, is simply an attempt to try and preserve that which was good in the past. The past has served us, why not serve the past by way of remembering it.
From my childhood to the better part of my adult years, the only means of travel across cities was the railways. My father was in the defence service who had to move out every three or four years from a station on posting. The moment he received his orders, packing the luggage started. Armed with his military warrant, he had to approach the railway authorities for reservation, which was done manually those days. The reservation clerk would take out his register to see if berths were available. If we were lucky, we got reserved seats. If not, we children welcomed travel even in unreserved compartments. After all, it was rail travel which we looked forward to. Mother prepared food to be packed for the journey. The same routine was followed when we travelled to our native place during summer vacation.
The day of journey arrived and we boarded the train comfortably if we had reservation; else, the family had to squeeze through in the unreserved compartment with the luggage. Luggage bigger in size were booked in the luggage van. Finding a seat in the unreserved compartment was difficult. Sometimes, sympathetic passengers accommodated us if we had no seat. Otherwise, we made ourselves comfortable on the floor or wherever we found a place.
The train pulled by the steam engine made a delightful chuk, chuk sound. This with the clanking of the wheels on the track and other engine sounds made a pleasing rhythm. The landscape seen from the moving train made a gratifying sight. Green agricultural fields, mountains, trees and of course, the overhead telephone cables were our constant companions.
The compartment filled with people of all hues made for an interesting sojourn. Gossip, sharing food and playing games like cards to while away time became a part of the journey. Haggling over space to sit, would be a common sight. These wrangles did not last long as travelling with a friendly co-passenger was a pleasant prospect.
As the train approached an intermediate halting station, the signals and the water tanks could be seen in the outer. As it pulled into the station, shouts of vendors selling their wares could be heard. Though there was enough packed food, we children craved for eatables sold outside. Father obliged us when he saw demanding looks on our faces. Almost every passenger carried water containers. Packaged water was never heard of then. The empty containers had to be replenished from the taps on the railway platform. There used to be a scramble at the taps to fill water within the halting time of the train.
We had to change trains midway. We emerged from the train covered with soot released by the steam engine. Flaky coal lodged heavily in the scalp. After reaching home, we would have an intense bath to wash off the soot. The particles in the scalp took days to leave us.
Trains now are faster and the facilities have improved. Diesel and electric locomotives pull the carriages with more speed. Connectivity is better and the travel time has reduced from days to hours. The Railways is not going to die as it still remains the popular mode of travel. It is affordable and comfortable too.
Though I fly now, I still love to travel by rail and my romance with trains will never fade.