Book Review - Train To Darjeeling And Other Stories By Sanjoy Mookerjee

 

The author of this book, Sanjoy Mookerjee has been the Financial Commissioner of Indian Railways.

In this book, the author brings to life tales of yore centered around the Indian Railways. There is technical know-how, there is mystery, drama and lots of light-hearted humor in these tales.

If you are a railway-enthusiast, particularly of the Indian Railways, you will love this book. Each chapter is a tribute to the world’s largest railway network under a single management. You can feel the author’s passion for the railways, a passion that was triggered when the author was just a child.

Through his tales, we get a tantalizing glimpse into the great organization of the Indian Railway. There are so many facets to this that we never notice. Be it the train or the station, railway employees are everywhere, doing the minutest of work to ensure the smooth functioning of the network.  As the author mentions (with obvious pride), ‘Indian Railways is indeed a State within a State’; ‘Indian Railway is a managerial wonder, a temple of human enterprise!’

The author’s first recollection of rail travel is a beautiful narrative that takes you on a nostalgic trip down memory lane. Cozy nights in the train, watching the scenery outside through glass-tinted windows, the meals in the train – oh, the meals! I was startled to know that the trains of yore used to have a separate Dining car for meals.

If I had to cite favorite chapters, the first would be ‘Train To Darjeeling’ wherein the author describes his first rail journey to Darjeeling. The narrative features the experiences of the author inside the train as well as the various landscapes that the train passed through. I also liked The Tusker Regiment, a delightful narrative about a Scottish family’s experience of rail travel in Gorakhpur.

The sketches in the chapters have been done by the author’s wife and lend a mystic aura to every chapter.

Some stories did feature a lot of technical know-how which I as a layman couldn’t understand. Nevertheless, these stories give a glimpse into the functioning of the train system and would probably be enjoyed by people thoroughly connected with rail knowledge.

Being a rail enthusiast myself, what with the numerous journeys that I take every year (thanks to the millions of relatives scattered across the country, and the zillions of family functions), reading this book was like traveling back in time to all the rail journeys that I undertook with my family and created memories for lifetime.

Definitely a must-read for rail-enthusiasts and the nomads!