Desi Diaries: Part 1 – Indian Railways
Indian Railways and my family share an unbreakable bond, much like every Indian middle-class family that has travelled through the Indian Railways during their holidays. Here are a few points that I believe every Indian Railways traveller can relate to.
For middle-class families, the journey begins with the day of departure. The rush before leaving for the station, an extra bag packed with all the home-cooked food that the family would consume. The menu ranges from lemon rice to curd rice, aaloo puris, or paratha achaar, accompanied by chips and biscuit packets.
After all, every child in the family has experienced THAT look when the snack vendor arrives, chanting chips, biscuits, and cakes in a rhythmic tone. It feels as if every chaiwallah in any train has the same tunes and words, becoming a timeless part of the railway experience.
Moving on to the seats, whether it’s the sleeper coach or an AC coach, the side lower berth is unarguably the best, especially for the younger ones traveling alone. It provides seclusion, some privacy, and the comfort of having a good view all to yourself. If not the side lower, the side upper is a good alternative, at least sparing you from a neck ache.
The remaining upper berths are reasonable options, with the lowers being preferable for families due to the added convenience of tables and comfort. The middle berth used to excite me only until I was maybe in 3rd grade. The excitement dwindles as we grow up, realizing it’s hardly ever accessible during the day. One has to sit amidst the whole family or adjust with the limited space on the lowers or sometimes even the side lower.
Now, onto the most critical topic of all—the washrooms. The dilemma is real, and one has to be lucky to find one that doesn’t stink. Going to the washroom is a process of mentally preparing yourself for the next 3-4 minutes. During my childhood, I held my breath, finished the job, gasped for breath the moment I came out, followed by a thorough handwash. Now, masks are a better option. It must be stated that with time, the situation has improved, and the phone numbers provided for sanitation assistance have faster responses now.
A friend’s roommate, who has never travelled by train before, is about to embark on a 48-hour journey from Chennai to Jaipur. Her questions ranged from the seating arrangements in a third AC coach to the peculiarities of middle seats, side lowers, and uppers. Demonstrations were required to help her grasp the nuances of a train coach. The most amusing question she asked was, “I’ll be able to have a bath, right?” This question was so hilarious that it makes us laugh till date.
The food in railways is a topic worth discussing in another article altogether. The iconic tomato soup, with its sour and salty taste, creamy texture, and crispy bread crumbs, is a match made in heaven. No other tomato soup has enchanted me in the same way as the Rs 20 tomato soup in that Indian Railways paper cup.
That seems to be the only good thing about the food; any other meal appears to be a waste of money. The veg biryani is rice with just salt and some masala, lacking vegetables. The chowmein or noodles? Same story. Breakfast options like bread omelette or cutlets are more bearable. Idlis, dosas, or puris, for that matter, have never been a value for money. The experience may differ for different trains across divisions; the northern division offers better puri aloo than the southern or south-eastern divisions.
When people ask me if I’ve ever been scammed, my mind automatically redirects to my experiences of buying practically anything on trains. I call it a scam because both I and my family have consistently been charged Rs 20 for every water bottle, even though its MRP is clearly printed as Rs 15. Every time we buy a water bottle, we end up paying an extra Rs 5. Either they don’t have change, or they ‘promise’ to come on the next trip. Only now that I’ve grown up have, I had the courage to call them out for it.
As a child, I loved the treatment the railways gave us—our own seat, our own bedsheets and blankets. It felt as if I were on my own, like an adult. The supposedly clean white bedsheets, blankets, and pillows are as much a part of the Indian Railways as the morning chai served in the Indian Railways cup.
I now realize how widespread the railways are in our country; we even have exclusive drinking water brands like ‘Railneer’. One might think the consumer base is limited to only the passengers, but a country like ours has more than 24 million passengers traveling by the Indian railways each day.
Indian Railways is known not only for its vastness but also for the variety of trains it offers. To begin with, it has 18 zones, ranging from the Northern Railway to the Southern Railway, the Eastern Railway to the Western Railway, and so on.
Okay, maybe that was a bit of gyaan regarding the topic that I decided to write about. Nevertheless, I do know that one may upgrade to going to the airport and traveling by planes, the leisurely hours that pass on the train, with no worries about your routine or work, is a different feeling altogether. For me, the berth, the white bedsheets and blankets, the constant chit-chat of families, the rhythmic tunes of the railway vendors, and of course, the hustle and bustle of every Indian Railway station ever will be etched into my heart.
PS- I know this is not a trending topic right now but I’d written this long back. Do Comment 🙂