A journey of the heart: One Sri Lankan officer’s transformative train adventure through India

A retired authorities serviceman successful Sri Lanka, Saman Athaudahetti is good known successful the island’s political, literary, and taste circles for his galore avatars — arsenic advisor to erstwhile President Ranil Wickremesinghe, further caput erstwhile Wickremesinghe was Premier, and arsenic tv presenter, author, and lyricist. Despite respective authoritative visits and vacation trips to India, it is lone post-retirement that helium was capable to earmark clip for this “dream”.

“I indispensable person gone to India astir 30 to 40 times, mostly for work. I did negociate to bash a fewer vacation trips, and I had the accidental to question by train…I recovered it simply amazing,” helium says, speaking to The Hindu in Colombo. Like India, Sri Lanka’s ain railway web was built during British assemblage rule. Labourers from South India, brought to the land to enactment connected beverage plantations (or Malaiyaha Tamils arsenic they are identified today), helped physique it. But the grade of the Indian railway web and its scope to distant parts of the country, person agelong fascinated Athaudahetti, truthful overmuch truthful that helium decided to constitute a publication connected the theme, pursuing his travelogues.

India-Sri Lanka Foundation, a spot money setup by the governments of the 2 countries to backmost projects aimed astatine enhancing relations betwixt the nations, offered to enactment Athaudahetti’s publication project. “The publication volition archetypal beryllium published successful Sinhala and perchance translated to English later. The thought is to seizure the expanse of the Indian Railways, truthful I travelled done 17 states and 9 railway zones, covering precise antithetic geographies, cities, and experiences,” helium says. In summation to fiscal support, Indian authorities and a question cause helped him program his visit, including the itinerary, logistics and his interviews with assorted officials. “Many of the Indian officials were incredibly helpful, particularly Dinesh Sood [Senior Principal Private Secretary to the Member (Infrastructure), Railway Board]. The railway unit I met are similar household now, sending maine WhatsApp forwards and bully greeting greetings each day,” helium says.

Athaudahetti’s travel covered well-known stations specified arsenic Ledo successful Assam, the easternmost presumption successful India; Navapur, located connected the Gujarat-Maharashtra State border. “The level present is divided betwixt the 2 states, it is truly interesting! I besides went to Ghoom successful Darjeeling, the highest railway presumption successful India; Gorakhpur junction which has the 2nd longest level successful the world; and Howrah, 1 of the busiest railway stations successful the world,” helium says. He spoke to passengers, presumption masters, and different railway officials to grounds both, accusation connected and experiences of Indian Railways. For company, helium had his member Asoka Athaudahetti, who helped visually papers the journey.

Athaudahetti points to a marked betterment successful facilities, coaches and successful wide cleanliness, barring “some exceptions”, successful the past 10 to 15 years. “You know, cleanliness depends connected the passengers, it’s not lone upto the railway authorities,” helium politely adds. Digitisation is different facet that stood out. “Ticket checkers who would earlier transportation those files are present utilizing tabs. There are apps that springiness you each the accusation astir schedules, PNR status, and the clip of arrival. You tin bid nutrient connected these apps, and it’ll beryllium delivered portion you’re successful the train. You tin rise complaints, it’s rather astonishing however exertion has been integrated to this nationalist transport service.” Vande Bharat trains are “impressive” and motorboat of slug trains connecting Mumbai and Ahmedabad, scheduled successful 2027, volition assistance the Indian Railways further its game, helium notes.

An important takeaway from his acquisition is the “beauty of diversity”, Athaudahetti says, recalling the varied terrain, climate, people, languages, and nutrient helium encountered. “The food…oh my! The seafood successful Kanyakumari, past the Chettinad curries, the unreality pudding successful Kerala, the malaiyo successful Varanasi, the rajma successful Jammu… conscionable truthful tasty. And then, one Bombay duck is simply a food dish, but successful Assam we had the bird… conscionable truthful galore antithetic cuisines and tastes,” helium says, visibly delighted arsenic helium recalls his culinary trip.

However, determination was 1 repast that bushed the rest. A home-cooked repast astatine Ledo presumption pointsman Raja Das’s home. “There was a large postulation jam successful the municipality that time and we were racing against clip to drawback our adjacent train. We did not person clip to spell find lunch. Raja Das invited america to his humble location nearby, and his parent and woman rapidly cooked a repast conscionable for us. They served america a sumptuous repast of rotis, rice, food and vegetables quickly. It was genuinely delicious. I volition ne'er hide the family’s warmth and hospitality,” helium says. Athaudahetti surely has a batch to constitute astir but “this is lone the archetypal leg”, the 68-year-old adds. “I person truthful overmuch much to screen successful the Indian Railways that I volition request to spell back!”