Article Written By EIH Researcher And Writer
Vedika Singhvi
“A puffing steam engine thunders through a tunnel in the hills, like a beautiful monster straight out of Ranji’s dreams. Fascinated by the spectacle, the young
boy waits for the midday train daily. And soon the tunnel becomes a portal to
adventures—of lush jungles, unexpected friendships ith the tunnel watchman,
leopards lurking near the tracks, and more.” (Bhuyan)
During the British Raj, the advent of railways brought about a dramatic change in India’s political, economic, and social life. Though Indian political leaders, led by Gandhi, had mixed feelings about it, its development opened up a new path in the literary worlds of both Indian and British writers (Haldar). Ruskin Bond is a prolific and well-known Post-Independence Indian writer of British heritage, and his writings, particularly his short stories, are replete with references to railway stations, trains, and train rides in various parts of Northern India (Haldar). Bond shows how going on a train or seeing a train run through forests or tunnels in the hills evokes a romantic, exciting, or mysterious emotion in the youthful spectator. Bond, who grew up in nature’s lap in the Himalayan foothills, possesses a Wordsworthian love and insight into the workings of nature and her elements (Haldar). It’s odd that he’s interested in machines like trains and has written stories about them as well as curated a collection of railway stories. Bond describes his interest in the railway in Soot Gets in Your Eyes, which serves as an introduction to The Penguin Book of Indian Railway Stories. Bond has a natural fondness for railway platforms, and his railway stories are autobiographical, fictionalized versions of his experiences when traveling by train in various parts of Northern India. Trains foster the concept of nationhood and provide a sense of unity in diversity by bringing numerous people from diverse places together under one roof. They also allow individuals to go far and wide and discover the terrain, natural plants, and men and women along the way.
Each book by Bond on railways centralizes Romance as the main theme of the stories, whether it is for serene landscape, nature, the stranger sitting across from you, the food, and the feeling connected to blissful train travels. “The Night Train at Deoli”, is one of the timeless pieces by Ruskin Bond with themes of romance, travel, and nostalgia. Reading books by Ruskin Bond reminds the reader of the simpler times of the past, when people build connections by just sharing Khakra and Achar in the train journeys. In this fast-moving world, Bond reminds us to slow down and enjoy the simpler things the universe has to offer.
