Day Express at Kumbakonam

Though it is hard to imagine today, in the past, India had an extensive “meter-gauge” railway network. Meter-gauge trains with their narrower carriages and pronounced lateral movement, gave the illusion as though they moved at a faster speed than they actually did! Prestigious trains like “The Boat Mail” were part of this network, but the train that stole the show was “The Day Express”. It was called “The Day Express” because it covered the entire stretch from erstwhile Madras Egmore to Trichy in one day.

Going back in time by four decades, summer vacation meant lounging at uncle’s home in Kumbakonam. And when it came to pastime, there was none fonder than meeting the Day Express midway through its journey at Kumbakonam. The days were filled with ample leisure. After father was done with his afternoon tiffin and degree-coffee, we set off to see the train each day.

 A short walk took you to the paddy fields. You balanced on the bund separating the fields till you reached the railway track. From that vantage point, the vision was expanded to cinemascope proportions. All you saw was the dome of the sky and the expanse of the paddy fields that stretched till eternity.

When the time was ripe, there was a sudden flurry of activity. The mood was expectant, like the burgeoning sounds of a jungle, announcing the imminent arrival of a major predator! The signal pole swung into action and went straight up! The telegraph wires beside the railway track rustled. Craning the neck you peered through the tracks into the distant horizon. You saw the nose of the engine- just a tiny dot. It was the Day Express!

Staying well away from the tracks, you waited with bated breath. Soon, you were overwhelmed with a deafening noise as the train hurtled past at a ferocious speed! The carriages were a blur and before you knew, it was all over.  All you could see was a puff of dust as the back of the last carriage melted into the distance! Once the train was gone, an indescribable calm spread over the evening landscape.

And then, there were days when you had other commitments and could not meet the train. The train kept its date nevertheless.  At eventide, from the precincts of home, the ears picked the reverberating rumble in the distance. Eyes filled with excitement, you dropped all activity at hand and exclaimed, “That’s the Day Express!”

The express went about its job each day with the same relentless urgency, like a man on a mission. It seemed to have time for just one sentence as it rushed past, “I have miles to go before I sleep, miles to go before I sleep!”