A trip to the City of Joy

It was after many years that we were again making a long train journey. During my military days, such extended train travel between different corners of our vast country was a routine affair. In those days, there existed a special bond between soldiers and the Railways. The sound of a distant whistling train in the dead of the night would put a soldier on a lonely vigil in a flutter. For soldiers, the train used to be a harbinger of reunion and homecoming. The mere presence of a locomotive could trigger waves of nostalgia and memories of his loved ones waiting at home.

A few months ago I and my wife had the happy experience of travelling to Kolkata to participate in the wedding of the daughter of an old friend, who was once my colleague in the Air Force. We soldiers get posted out after a short stint at a particular station and we move on with the new life and relations at the new location and generally (in those days) it was difficult for us to keep in touch with our former colleagues. Luckily, my Bengali friend’s postal address and landline number did not change and later modern gadgets made communication easier.

The thought of meeting an old friend, a revisit to the City of Joy and attending a traditional Bengali marriage for the first time are reasons enough for an exciting set-off. But the long train journey had something more in store, a pleasant surprise for us.

The railway stations at the Coromondal route used to be an eyesore and the journey through the eastern coast was a traveller’s nightmare. But all that is history now. The railway stations along the route are very clean. Gone are the days when our platforms were littered with rubbish and infested with flies. The cleaning staff was seen busy with their task at stations and inside the coaches. Even the vendors came significantly improved with hygienically packed snacks and beverages. The passengers were once forced to witness the ugly sight of open defecation along the tracks whenever the train approached a major station.

It was really an embarrassment to view such unpleasant ‘Indian vistas’. What a change! A great relief to watch the rising sun in the Bay without the disgusting sights and nauseating smell! At Visakhapatnam station, I got out of the train for a while to take a little stroll on the platform and I was thrilled to see the passengers carefully choosing the appropriate dustbins. Even the dozens of platforms of the overcrowded Howrah station looked cleaner, a stark contrast from the markets across the bridge. Who said we Indians won’t change! Given an opportunity, we can outperform anyone else. Still, there are miles to go for achieving the final goal of a Swachh railway but the Team Railway can take great proud not only for the hard works but also for motivating the passengers to co-operate with the nationwide movement.