On the Indian Railways...

This was written on the same night as the previous two posts... its my take on what I thought is the impact of railways on the people and the people on the railways, i think...

00:20 4^th June, 2009

The train to Lucknow. Somewhere around Ghaziabad.

On the Indian Railways... A journey/lesson on Indianism

Outsiders/First timers are all hugely fascinated by the Indian Railways. Amongst the biggest rail networks in the world, it provides livelihood to hundreds of thousands and a life line to tens of millions.

A very remarkable person first remarked, “We are like that only” – an almost literal translation of a favourite phrase of the Hindi speaking hinterland “hum to aise hi hain.” – and what was once a way of life, of accepting the system and of projecting our many many idiosyncrasies to the uninitiated westerner, has now become the mantra of explaining away all the shortcomings & failures of our “great” nation.

This very phrase has become the embodiment of the Indian Railways which have very recently witnessed a “turnaround”, under the “able” leadership of Mr. Laloo Prasad Yadav (and earned him many accolades along the way.)

Which brings me back to the initial premise, what does it really mean to hail from India and to say, nay, to proclaim, to the world “We are like that only”

Adjusting, laid-back, non-complaining, patience, are a few of the adjectives that spring to mind for the average Indian, which I’m forced to concede, is a dying breed. Those familiar with the Railways of India, will agree that these are the characteristics (I use this word, for I am not sure if these can be counted as virtues/qualities in the India of today, especially given the rampant display of power, aggression and impatience though Roadies, Splitsvilla, IPL, and the plethora of “news” channels that are beamed into our homes 24x7) that are required in large chunks when preparing and actually using them as a mode of transport.

Whether the Railways are a true byword of Indian-ness or the latter results from the way of functioning of the former and many other similar public sector undertakings, is for the historians/chroniclers of India and her Railways to decide and for the reader to ponder. We can however, be sure that India, the real India, and the entire spectrum of Indians of various hues, shapes and sizes, (barring perhaps the ultra-rich and the infra-poor) can and will always be found travelling by its Railways.