Century-old railway route to reveal forgotten cultures, empower locals

The South Western Railway’s (SWR) ambitious restoration project along the 107-year-old rail line connecting Bengaluru and Chikkaballapur may shine a light on stories and cultures on the margins of colonial history.

The Bengaluru division of SWR had firmed up plans for the sprucing up of four stations on the line — Doddajala, Avathihalli, Devanahalli and Nandi Halt — in February last year.

The Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage (INTACH) is restoring and renovating the stations with CSR funding.

With work on the Doddajala station completed and restoration in Avathihalli and Devanahalli expected to be done in two months, authorities are now inviting citizens to contribute with exhibits for an upcoming museum.

SWR officials said the region was a natural choice for the project since the railway line is by itself a part of heritage. “We also want to convert these spaces into hubs of activity. Through museums and galleries, we will be presenting the story of the Indian Railways to a new audience,” Kusuma Hariprasad, additional divisional railway manager, told DH.

The narrow gauge Bengaluru-Chikkaballapur light railway line that opened under the Mysore State Railway in 1915 was primarily used to transport goods. It was converted into a broad-gauge line in the late 1990s.

The SWR took over the route from the Southern Railway in 2003. At present, three pairs of trains operate on the line, in addition to six pairs of MEMU trains with stops at the Kempegowda International Airport halt station.

INTACH has roped in Mineral Enterprises Ltd as CSR donors for work on the Doddajala, Avathihalli and Devanahalli stations, at an estimated cost of Rs 1 crore.

In the second phase, SWR targets footfalls through rail coach restaurants and entertainment zones. It could also have train coaches converted into reading rooms and anganwadis. The idea is to offset sparse activity on the 60-km stretch — due to minimal train services on the line — by finding ways to engage and empower local communities.

Silk activity

Meera Iyer, convenor of INTACH’s Bengaluru chapter, said the proposal for a silk resource centre at the Avathihalli station could throw the limelight on the region’s largely under-reported home-based sericulture activity.

“It operates like a decentralised cottage industry, covering it all — from a cocoon to the finished product. The project could give the industry a human face,” she told DH.

A major part of the consolidation work in the Doddajala and Devanahalli stations was done on the roofs. INTACH has also factored in other possibilities — a verandah at the Devanahalli station was restructured to accommodate a small stage for performances.

Work at the Nandi Halt station will be taken up in the final leg of the first phase. SWR is planning a railway museum and a park at the station at a cost of Rs 2.35 crore. Tenders inviting partners will be floated soon.

The railway division has also requested institutions, NGOs and retired railway employees to share images, audio and video recordings, journals, sketches, stamps and newspaper clippings relevant to the history of the railways for display at the proposed museum and galleries.