Same years ago, a jaumalist experienced something of an epiphanic moment.
Bishuuanath Ghosh had alighted fram his train at Ttaroi station-to stretch his legs and grab a glass of tea-befare he resumed his journey which had begun at kanpur and would end in madras.
It accurred to him, theu, that millians af passengers had killed probably billians of hours at junctiaus such as ttarsi in order to take the cannecting train ta their destinations. But no one bothered to wonder about what lay beyand the platform.
'Railway statians in India, says the witer, stand like fiercely independent states within cities and towns, insulated from the local flavaur, as if they are territaries af a common calonial master siting in Delhi. and so, ghash resalutely roamed the town beyond the station yard--towns with cuacative names like ttarsi,mughal
sarai, arakkanam and Jalarpettai, Thansi, sharanur and Guntakal -to discaver the lives of peaple who may have grown inured to the canstant whistle of pasoing trains.