RAILS OF THE Raj

FROM ITS CONCEPTION TO ITS ROLE IN THE NATION'S HISTORY, THE BRITISH INDIAN RAILWAYS IS A PHENOMENON MARKED AS MUCH BY MARVEL AS AVARICE

- WAQUAR HABIB

THE HISTORY OF RAILWAYS in India is inextricably linked with British colonial rule. While the British laid down the tracks primarily for economic exploitation, administrative control and military logistics, its introduction led to significant socio-economic transformation, shaping the subcontinent's future through industrialisation.

But among its users, the railways invoked mixed opinions. While on one occasion, the great Mahatma Gandhi is seen observing that railways "accentuate the evil nature of man, just as a daisy accentuates the beauty of the grass," Nehru, the first Prime Minister of India, is found to have a different approach to railways calling it the "a great unifying force. They have knit India together and have brought people closer."

While the British Raj remained limited to its quarters, segregated from the native populace, the railway tracks spread across the length and breadth—the seams and sinews of colonialism.