Indian Railways, a Human Drama

No doubt, a lifeline of sub-continental India,

Running over three and a half million passenger trains in a year,

Carrying over twelve billion passengers across in AC and non-AC,

Hauling over half a billion tons of freight traffic, wagon loads and smalls,

A system feeding every aspect of human activity of one billion people,

Rendering service non-stop, all the while, for over a century,

Linking coast to coast to hinterland, over three million square kilo-meters,

And considered as the largest national railway system in the world.

Within the organization over four million hands work together,

To manage and operate this giant sized transportation system,

It has taken strides to catch up with the latest and the best,

And is in trained and professional hands to run as a modern mode.

How can one close eyes and ears, to something of daily occurrence,

To the typical sight and sound of moving trains and crossing each other?

The chugging of the wheels and the puffing of the engines,

The blow of the whistle shooting through the air,

The tapping of unending track over countless sleepers,

The roar on the culverts and bridges spanning mighty rivers,

The echoes and eerie dark of the long tunnels, the heavy cuts and banks,

The calculated line-up of signals of different kinds for day and night,

To caution, regulate the halt, movement and speed, indicate restrictions.

To automate the movement and ensure safety with advanced technology,

It is a picture mirrored in the minds of all who choose to go by rail.

Most unforgettable is a railway platform, a world by itself,

The hustle and bustle of a different kind reflecting uniqueness,

The brisk sale of tea, coffee, cold drinks, cigarettes and pan masalas,

The seasonal fruits, tinned juices, the snacks and sizzling pakoras,

Bringing delight to the ruffled minds of traveling passengers,

In sing-song style, as if all is here and now to enjoy and relax.

The red uniformed porters, carrying the baggage perilously,

Of passengers , arriving and departing trains, in a hurry,

The book stalls and vendors of dailies and magazines,

Never failing to gather crowd to glance through them.

Millions rushing to the suburban stations to go to office and back,

For shopping spree, sundry errands and meeting friends and relations.

Pulsates the human urges on the platforms, a study for discerning eye.

The emotions built, welling up and carried along is another part to be seen,

Somebody, with bouquet of good wishes, departing to new pastures,

The other leaving to attend the funeral of near and dear ones,

A young heart feeling love-lorn saying tearful good-bye,

The bride tearing apart from the parents after marriage,

The soldiers moving to the front, taking leave of families,

The wounded ones brought back to be nursed in the hospitals,

The dead going home as martyrs in the midst of poignant scenes.

Are some of the daily sights to be seen on the railway platforms.

The irony is accepted that train moves out of station and sight,

Showing no mercy to the erstwhile bonds and so it goes on,

To remind oneself that time and train wait for none.

It does not forget the daily demands in the lives of the people,

It brings to the users the perishables manufactured goods,

Two-wheelers, cars, entertainment and comfort gadgets,

And many other articles of necessity, marketed as new products

Going round the world being a natural instinct for a change,

The families pack up in summer to date with hills and snows,

New resorts, pilgrimage to temples and shrines and places of worship,

Festivals, seasides, mountaineering and bit of trekking,

And many other vistas, opening new options to enjoy and relax,

The railways gear up and run special trains to serve these demands.

The legislators and councilors too are patiently served,

To enable them to legislate and undertake the governance,

The railways in their multirole make earnest endeavour,

To boost exports to earn much needed foreign exchange,

And within the country , to accelerate integrated development,

For better tomorrow for India with new international image.

Indian Railways will for ever strive to remain in service,

In the hearts and minds of masses and care for them.

I am proud to belong to the large family of railwaymen.

G.C.Sharma,

Delhi, June, 2003