Another Train Ride: A Microcosm of India

To add to our previous mishap involving getting the Delhi stations confused, we recorded our second rail-related gaffe en route to Patna from Jamshedpur. While trying to find out whether our train was delayed through the railway hotline[i], we entered the train number of the ‘up’ train instead of the ‘down’ train. As a result, we thought that the train was running 3 hrs late. Upon reaching the station, the TC and police officer in charge couldn’t hold back their laughter when we told our story. No more trains were going to Patna that evening. Not wanting to lose any more time, we returned early the next morning and bought the first available tickets: unreserved seats in non-AC chair car.

Co-passenger Killing Time

What followed over the next 12 hours was one of the most exhilarating, educational and eventful trips we have taken thus far. The train turned out to be a ‘slow’ one, stopping at almost every station along the way. As a result, we encountered a variety of passengers who were on board for only brief periods. These ranged from sadhus to drunkards to laborers to farmers carrying produce (our seats were eventually taken up by sacks of grains). We couldn’t resist but to strike up conversations with some of them, to get a pulse on the lives of the ‘aam admi’.

Between the Bogeys: Reserved for the Aam Aadmi

Through a conversation with laborers from Jharkhand, we were able to get valuable anecdotes on one of our research topics, labor movement. In attempting to break the ice with the leader of the crew, it felt like a shy dance proposal from 7^th grade. Once Chotey got talking, though, there was no looking back. He and his crew were contract laborers returning from Kharagpur, who had left their work because the company was paying them less (Rs.100/day) than what was originally promised (Rs.160/day), and because the accommodation provided was ‘not even fit for animals to live in’. As a result, work on the site had come to a complete halt, and the contractor was calling him endlessly to bring them back on the promised rate. They do this kind of work all over the country, from Orissa to U.P. to Kerala, sometimes for rates as high as Rs. 250/day in the metros. His family owned land and everyone except him were farmers, but he found it more lucrative to do this work and because there was already enough help. We exchanged numbers before parting, and I promised to inform him of any jobs I came across in Mumbai.

An exchange with a Bihari student who was studying in Patna gave an insight into the mindset of the locals, and a possible explanation for the lawlessness that has so often plagued the state. While we hesitated in sitting on the footstep of the door since there was a notice suggesting a fine of Rs.500 and or/imprisonment, he coolly sat there and stated that ‘rules don’t count for anything’. He also claimed that almost none of the locals on the train traveled with a ticket. The chain to stop the train, supposed to be used only in case of an emergency, is used frequently if the train is not expected to stop close to their village.

View From the Train

On the train we also met the underbelly of India in the form of a 10 year old beggar, Ajay. As he approached us, Ajay’s detached eyes provoked us to talk to him. Upon enquiry we learnt that various beggar mafias participate in an unofficial auction for deploying their kids on various rail routes. Railway police officials are bribed by various gangs for their tacit approval to conduct such an illegal and inhuman activity. Ajay accumulates approximately INR 200 daily, the majority of which goes to his supervisors. Whatever he saves is spent on whiteners, his preferred beverage. He told us that he despised schooling and that he does not intend to work in order to earn as he doesn’t mind the life he leads. This heartbreaking narrative prepared us for the many tales of suffering we heard in Bihar.

Ajay

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[i] Dial 139. We have used this service extensively and deem it to be excellent. Another feather in the railways’ cap

Railways, Technology and Ethics

Disclaimer: None of the brands mentioned have actually paid us. This is free advertising for them.

Railway ticket booking has become a lot easier these days, thanks to the IRCTC and websites such as Yatra. As a result we’ve relied on the railways to travel the eastern part of the country. Rail travel is also safer relative to roadways as local goons and Maoists/Naxalites often target vehicles on highways, especially in northern Orissa, Jharkhand and Bihar. This strategy has allowed us to see a number of railway stations which we’ve found to be clean and well-equipped. However, major stations, such as Howrah, still suffer from heavy congestion (one of us remarked, “This resembles a refugee camp”) and security at all stations remains a major concern as they are extremely porous.

We took the Purshottam Express from Bhubaneswar to Jamshedpur. The train, which was supposed to leave Bhubaneswar at 11.30pm was delayed by an hour. Due to arrive at 6.30am, we only reached at 8am. The attendant, who had assured us that he would wake us up in time for Tatanagar station, seemed content in his sleep as we exited the train. Utterly disoriented, we searched for the exit. Meters before the exit, we were stopped by a drowsy railway official who wanted to see tickets of the journey we had just performed. We realized that after the 2am ticket check and due to the hasty exit in the morning, we had forgotten our tickets in the train.

When on the wrong side of the law, defense via reason is an ideal form of offense. We proceeded to explain to the uninterested official the circumstances under which we had exited the train. We also asked for his permission to show him the soft copy of our ticket on the mobile phone or the netbook but he refused citing the INR 300/person fine as the only acceptable settlement mechanism.

As is common in India, onlookers circumscribed us for their dose of early morning entertainment. Few of the gentlemen tried to negotiate on our behalf. We even suggested to the platform TC (Ticket Collector) that 2 of us would bond with him while the third would run to a nearby cyber café and print the ticket. He rejected this offer too and proposed that we pay INR 300 at least. For that sum, he would let us go. This was the loophole in his case. We demanded that we be taken to the station manager’s cabin for what would be a hearing of sorts.

Upon arrival at the cabin, we presented our case to the manager who deployed a third, apparently independent officer to examine our e-tickets. The netbook was pulled out. The Netconnect was plugged in. Now, only internet connectivity could save us from furthering the confrontation. Towers were on our side – the device worked. The officer looked at the ticket and recommended that we be set free.

Lesson: Requesting a transfer of proceedings to the station manager was a risk. Groupism (which would work against us) of railway officials was a strong possibility. Paying INR 300 and exiting the station was the easy option but we knew that our case was flawless. We decided to stick to the facts and emerged victorious on a high moral ground.

Many of our laws are archaic, and render such settlement impossible. Not too long ago, we succumbed to a similar temptation. An upright minority is the only hope for a nation where corruption is a social norm. Pontificating high horses are more comfortable than rocky rail rides.

Calcutta’s Old World Charm

If in Assam people are used to a lahe-lahe (slowly) culture, then West Bengal seems to run at an even more leisurely pace. Calcutta, which served as the capital of the British East India Company, felt like a city stuck in the 60s, resistant to change. For one, Ambassadors are the only taxis that are allowed to roam the streets – mainly because the Hindustan Motors plant that manufactures these cars is located in the state. Rickshaws pulled manually are still a common mode of transport around the city. The city’s tram line is the only one of its kind in India and apart from a few modern carriages that have been recently introduced, most look like they haven’t been replaced since the British left. However, one aspect of urban transportation that the city has been ahead of others is in the Metro system. We took a ride and found it very clean and punctual. The platform even had cable TV showing the latest EPL highlights.

The Ambassador Taxi in Calcutta

Rickshaw puller

The Calcutta Tram

Jute, a very lucrative cash crop and abundantly grown in Bengal, is one of the state’s largest exports. We visited the Howrah jute mill, which was set up during the British time and subsequently purchased by a Marwari businessman. The mill was large, producing 130 tons of jute every day and employing hundreds of workers. However, the machines and processes being used seemed ancient, as if no changes had taken place in the last 6 decades. Dust and dirt filled the air around us and the environment seemed to come across as a health hazard for the workers.

Jute Mill

Every big city has its own colonial imprint – for Calcutta, this is the Victoria Memorial Hall (the most popular tourist attraction, after the food that is). This lavish monument comes across as a mix between St. Paul’s Cathedral in London and the Taj Mahal. Inside, there is an excellent collection of historical photographs and paintings depicting times gone by. There is also a well preserved exhibition hall (air-conditioned) with timelines, artifacts and even a showcase portraying village life.

Victoria Memorial Hall

Aside from visiting a couple of colleges, Presidency and Jadavpur, we stopped by the well-renowned Indian Coffee House. This is the place where the quintessential Bengali comes to debate and discuss anything from the weather to cricket to politics, over a cup of coffee. A very simplistic milieu where even bottled water is not available, this is where the philosophy of Marx and Lenin find their most vocal support.

Indian Coffee House

Change (in governance) in West Bengal could well be around the corner. A number of individuals whom we spoke to mentioned the rising tide and influence of Mamata Banerjee and her Trinamool Congress party. If victorious in the next election, it would be the first time a party other than the CPM would be in power over the last 3 decades. Maybe this is a sign of things to come.

Driving through Arunachal

Since the northeastern part of the country has limited rail connectivity and expensive air transport, we decided to drive into Arunachal Pradesh via Tezpur. We halted in Tezpur as we had to get our innerline permits made to enter Arunachal. The DC’s (District Commissioner) office makes the passes upon the presentation of 2 passport photos, a photocopy of an address proof and a form with credentials. The fact that Indian citizens need a visa-like permit to enter an Indian state is vexing. Additionally, the processing is contingent on the officials’ mood and extraneous factors such as the magnitude of Durga pooja donations.

Tawang, a serene hill station, was our base in Arunachal. While on our way to Tawang, we halted at Bomdila for the night. The 160km drive took 8 hours as the state of the roads changed along with the topography as we left Assam for Arunachal. What was a concrete roadway became a dirt track and the lush green plains of Assam gave way to the denser rainforests among the hills of Arunachal. A punctured tire in the midst of the damp, dark forest made matters worse.  Our dawdling driver added to the woes by doing the unthinkable – he induced passenger road rage by consistently under-speeding. The 180km drive from Bomdila to Tawang took another 9 hours as the condition of the roads – or lack thereof – deteriorated. The bouncy traverse reminded us of the Leh – Manali drive.

While in Tawang, we visited the monastery – Dalai Lama’s first stop in the country when he left Tibet for India in 1959. Compared to the monasteries we saw in Ladakh, the Tawang monastery complex was grander as it had a learning center and a residence complex for the lamas. We also visited the Tawang War Memorial – a site which recounts the 1962 battle and commemorates the victims of the war. The town is an interesting milieu of local residents – Bihari laborers, Marwari shop-owners and diverse army regiments coexist peacefully. While we were there, Tawang was readying itself to welcome the influx of tourists from Bengal who prefer the calm of a hill station over the shrillness of pooja festivities.

Tawang Monastery

Having covered the Indo-Pak border on the western front, we were keen to visit the Indo-China border at Bumla, 38km from Tawang in order to compare the two boundaries. We spent a day trying to secure the permits required to visit the border – shuttling between the DC office and the army verification center. Next morning, our hired Toyota Innova took a severe beating as it negotiated the uphill, rocky terrain while SUVs drove up relatively comfortably. The 3-hour drive was entertaining, thanks to BRO’s (Border Roads Organization) creativity.

On our way back to Tezpur we rested overnight at Dirang, a beautiful valley, about 140km or 6.5 hours from Tawang. The drive to Tezpur via Bomdila took another 7 hours drive as election campaign and army convoys joined the incompetent driver and the cruel paths to keep us on the road for a record time. The experience was also stressful for those trying to get in touch with us on our non-BSNL mobile phones.

View from lodge in Dirang

That Arunachal follows a matrilineal system was conspicuous as we drove through the state. Women were performing labor intensive tasks such as road leveling and water collection while men were probably looking after domestic chores. Most villages we passed through had wooden residences, NREGS advertisements and a convenience store. Notorious kids with toy guns gesticulated at us at every turn. The toy guns were pooja gifts and, perhaps, symbols of aspiration in an area where armed sentry is ubiquitous. We passed by several functional army camps, setup after the 1962 defeat, which reminded us of the security cover we saw in Kashmir.

Women labourers on the road to Tawang

The tourism department markets the northeast – quite rightly – as “paradise unexplored.” In addition to incredible views, waterfalls greeted us every so often. The state was abuzz with political activity which manifested itself in the electoral paraphernalia that decorated the houses. We wondered if pre-poll promises included better roads and telecommunication.

Conversation with Narendra Modi, Chief Minister of Gujarat

We contacted Narendra Modi’s office on Monday, introducing ourselves as recent graduates from US colleges on an all-India tour. We received a meeting confirmation 2 days later. It was clear that Modi enjoys meeting young people, and the efficiency of his office was representative of the state of Gujarat as a whole.

What Sets Gujarat Apart?

The meeting began with Modi explaining what sets Gujarat apart from the rest of India. Firstly, his policy-driven approach to governance allows businesses to run with minimal interference, so long as they operate within the clearly prescribed rules and regulations set forth by the state government. Secondly, maintaining 24-hour power supply to every household and business across the state has always been a top priority (Gujarat was the only state where we didn’t experience a single power cut). He is also currently working on spreading broadband connectivity across the rural villages of the state. Thirdly, Gujarat’s implementation of the National Highway Authority of India’s (NHAI) schemes has been more effective than other states. These are some of the drivers behind Gujarat’s unrivaled intra-state road connectivity and infrastructure.

The DMIC and GIFT

The Delhi-Mumbai Industrial Corridor (DMIC) is a large-scale national project which will likely shape the country’s economic future as it is implemented. Modi believes that Gujarat will be a key beneficiary of the project. He also holds a positive outlook on its feasibility- so much so that he has commissioned the erection of 9 state highways (which are already built) in support of the corridor.

Gujarat International Finance Tec-City (GIFT) is Modi’s baby. We were shown a premium quality coffee table book on the project as he explained its place in the future of Gujarat. His vision is to make a financial hub of international standards in India. Gujarat would be a natural birthplace for such a project as it houses the highest number of Chartered Accountants in the country and is a breeding ground for people who are interested in financial services. If all goes as planned, we envision GIFT turning into the financial hub of India, in spite of Mumbai being the official financial capital (like how Hong Kong is China’s financial hub, in spite of Shanghai being the official financial capital).

Graphic design of GIFT skyline

Constant Learning

When asked what the rest of India should learn from Gujarat, Modi instead chose to talk about what Gujarat learns from the rest of the country. He explained that if he notices anything working successfully in other states (be it in public works, the arts or education), he immediately sends a 10-person team there to understand the strategy. Modi also routinely dispatches all his MLA’s to different states to learn about those states’ best practices and adapt them to Gujarat’s growth model.

Wrapping-up…

Modi runs a tight ship, and this has allowed him to build a state with road connectivity, power supply and infrastructure that is superior to any of the states we have covered so far. It is a combination of the CM’s leadership and the enterprising nature of the Gujarati people that has made the state what it is today. With such large-scale economic and financial projects underway, we expect to see it develop into a major commercial hub of the country.

Power to the Cyclists

Delhi roads are wider than most in India, with exclusive lanes for cars, buses and cyclists in certain areas. It was heartening to see two police officers guarding the bicycle path and redirecting unlawful motorcyclists to the motorists’ lane. This allowed school children and adults traveling for work/leisure to ride safely.

Marshals directing cyclists in New Delhi

However, we were soon hit by an unpleasant reality when we saw the same motorcyclists trespass the boundary back onto the bike path after passing the police officers. We also noticed some not even slowing down under orders from the police, showing no regard for the law and risking injury. We were getting used to hearing the govt. being blamed for day-to-day problems. However, this was a case of the government trying to do the right thing and the people standing in the way. Not sure which is worse.

Train-ing

We booked our tickets on-line (Yatra) for a rail journey from Delhi to Kota. Our train, the Rajdhani Express was scheduled to depart at 4.30pm. We reached the station at 3.45pm and at 4.10pm we realized that we were at the wrong station – Nizamuddin instead of New Delhi. Now, it was impossible for us to transfer to the right station in time to catch the Rajdhani. Thus, we decided to cancel our booking, but found out that tickets booked on-line could only be cancelled on-line. A kind railway police official told us to speak to the TC (Ticket Collector), who would accommodate us if there were vacancies in the August Kranti Rajdhani which was to leave Nizamuddin station at 4.55pm.

We got a chance to speak to the TC 20 minutes before departure. He suggested that we get new tickets from the issuing authority at the station. Naman sprinted across the station to negotiate with the agents at the ticketing booth who refused to issue new tickets as the reservation lists had already been released. After pleading profusely for a few minutes, the officials decided to relent. Naman could afford only 2 tickets and did not have the time to run to the ATM for more cash. After purchasing the tickets he ran back to the platform to board the train.

We were in an AC 3-tier coach and were pleasantly surprised by the cleanliness of the compartment and the quality of service and food. Minutes after boarding we were served a snack tray and were given a bottle of water and a hand towel. When the TC arrived, we explained to him the circumstances under which we boarded the train and requested to pay for the 3^rd ticket on the spot (TCs reserve the right to issue a ticket onboard). He refused and asked one of us to get off at the next station (Mathura) or pay a fine of INR 3000 upon arrival in Kota. Mathura came and went, we stayed put.

Tomato soup and breadsticks were served before the well-stocked vegetarian dinner trays and strawberry ice-creams arrived. Post-dinner, one of us was summoned by the TC. The negotiation was short and precise. The TC claimed to have helped us big time and proposed that he be treated “pyaar se” (with love). He demanded a sum equal to the price of the ticket plus a surcharge. The terms of the verbal contract also included a non-disclosure clause since the TC’s service was “special”. We reached Kota at 9.35pm (10 minutes before the scheduled time of arrival).

Moral: Read the particulars on your ticket. Services in the Indian Railways have improved significantly but macro issues such as corruption among officials remain.

Side-note: We have now officially used every available form of transport (road, rail, air and water).

Bus Rides in Punjab

In travelling between Chandigarh, Ludhiana and Amritsar, we made extensive use of inter-city buses, a mode of transport that we had seldom used in India prior to this trip. The bus terminals were well kept, and stocked with cafes, snack shops and bookstores. Bus entry points were numbered and organized according to destination, and makeshift ticket counters were maintained outside each bus.

The first bus we took (Chandigarh to Ludhiana) was air conditioned. The ticket vendor gave us three thin strips of paper with our seat numbers written on them. However, in the bus, we found that our seats were occupied so we just assumed random seats and settled in. Soon enough, our seats were challenged by their rightful patrons, and a massive re-shuffling of seats ensued. We found out that some seats were allocated by ticket issuers to multiple people, and some people were not allocated a seat at all. Everyone whose ticket had no seat number on it was forced to stand.

The rest of our buses were non-a/c, and more similar to the HRTC bus we took from Manali to Chandigarh. The bus made several unofficial stops, where hawkers would jump on to try and sell Fanda (fake Fanta) and other drinks/snacks. The Punjabi movie playing on the bus TV kept riders occupied. Not the most comfortable journey, but economical and educational nonetheless.

Making friends on the Chandigarh--Ludhiana bus

Entertainment in the Ludhiana--Amritsar bus