Strangers on a Train

Trains are to India as cars are to America. The full tenor of that statement cannot be felt until one actually has the opportunity to experience a train ride in India, especially one that traverses the Himalayan Mountains. In July of 2012, students and faculty from Fayetteville State University (FSU), a Historically Black College and University located in Fayetteville, North Carolina, had such an experience! The best way to describe this experience would be to call it a curiously breath-taking journey. Regardless of the aesthetics of the train travel, there is a definite practical utility and usefulness for trains in India that cannot be negated or ignored. Although foreign travelers tend to get caught up in the scenic beauty of the tunnels, waterfalls, bridges, stations, vegetation, animals, and people encountered along the route, the indigenous rider’s dependency on trains as a vital mode of transportation is quite obvious to the keen observer. India is a populous nation and although vehicles are available, trains are crucial because they provide a proper balance and alternative to a society dominated by private transportation.

The Kalka Shimla Railway highlighted in the photograph is one of the three Mountain Railways of India declared World Heritage sites in 2008 by the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO 2013). This narrow-gauge railway connects Shimla, the summer capital of British India to the rest of the nation by train. It passes through beautiful hill country and 102 tunnels for about 96 kilometers or the equivalent of 60 miles. It is affectionately called a “Toy Train” because of its narrow, winding, and slow passage route. Starting in the Shivalik foothills in Kalka (656 meters or 2000 feet), the train takes a leisurely 5 hours to climb to 2075 meters or 6811 feet to reach Shimla in the Himalayas. Passengers are provided with a panoramic view of India’s mountain lands and its inhabitants. Without the train, many of these wonderful sights in the high mountain elevations would be “hidden” from view. Needless to say, for a group coming from the a small town in the American South, experiencing the wonders of India’s Himalayan culture while traveling on a piece of colonial history itself, was both exciting and overwhelming for various reasons.

First, most American southerners are not accustomed to the high elevations of the Himalayas and the concomitant temperatures associated with these altitudes. After finally becoming acclimatized to the “heat” of the Punjab plains, it was jolting to stick one’s hand out the window or stand in the doorway of the Toy Train to feel the cool breeze flowing among the Himalayan pine trees penetrate one’s body and soul! Of course we were told to expect a change in temperature on our sojourn from Jalandhar to Shimla, but actual experience always makes for a poignant and lasting impression. The coolness came as an immediate relief and unexpected pleasure for the North Carolina travelers and we availed ourselves of every opportunity to “feel” the mountains.

Second, the mountainous terrain was different, to say the least, than the landscapes back home. Some southern states, including North Carolina, are indeed mountainous, but traveling up into the Himalayas, which include some of the highest peaks on Earth, presented a different scenario for most students from FSU. We did not waste this opportunity. Traveling through the many tunnels similar to the one in the cover photograph gave us Americans the opportunity to imagine the complexity of building a railroad through a mountain range such as the Himalayas. Certainly this experience offered us the opportunity to speculate about the rationale and urgency the British must have possessed in order to undertake such a complicated endeavor. Some tunnels were short and sweet, others were long and mysterious, creating a sense of intrigue to what could have been a tedious trip. On the other hand, the winding and weaving of the train cars created some challenges in terms of photography and videography. As a consequence, the group learned that standing in the open doorway of a train, provided a perfect position for engaging in both activities. Furthermore...