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National Geographic The Great Indian Railway
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India is a land of dreams |
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Where images, however fleeting are |
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The railway is her lifeline |
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But bridging the boundaries of her |
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For over 900 million people |
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over one-and-a-half million must work |
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The great Indian railway touches |
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For nothing is more a part of |
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than the trains which are part of |
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Over a century ago |
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the sound of the steam locomotive |
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as it rolled through the desert |
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In those days |
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villages and cities were isolated |
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and the coming of the train would |
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Legends were told of the great fire eater |
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and breathed white clouds of smoke |
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Those who did not fear it |
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In remote outposts where there |
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banyan trees often marked the train stop |
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And people anticipated its arrival |
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There was always entertainment |
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celebrating the trip |
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What had taken weeks by bullock cart |
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The hero was the driver |
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He was assigned one engine for life |
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and cared for it as though it were |
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making sure it was fed coal and watered |
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It was like a living creature preparing |
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If there ever was a heart |
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it began here |
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with these locomotives |
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They were the symbol of the |
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and held the romance of an age |
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when men and machines united the country |
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But this era couldn't last forever |
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Now, the super fast express trains |
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and are moving India into a new century |
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The railway is a living legacy of |
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for nearly two hundred years |
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They laid down the first rails in 1850 |
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and by Indian independence |
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reached across hundreds of |
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Today, all have been merged into one |
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Stretching nearly 40,000 miles |
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and connecting over 7,000 stations |
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it is the largest railway under a single |
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The frontier Mail, the Tamil-Nadu Express |
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all long-distance trains, |
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But one of the oldest is |
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and it travels nearly |
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Indians love to travel |
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whether it be on a religious pilgrimage |
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They pack everything and bring everyone |
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They can go anywhere in the country |
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Space has a whole different meaning |
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People like to sit next to each other |
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talk and share stories |
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And a stranger isn't a stranger for long |
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More than 11,000 trains |
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Travel through India everyday |
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But it's in the three-tier second-class |
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the real spirit of the country |
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If anyone wants to know what India |
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you could just travel |
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and you could talk to people |
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You'll actually meet people from |
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and you can actually have a look |
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you see, now there's |
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You can actually enjoy this |
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in such long trains say from |
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which go from one end of the nation |
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Such long trains you can enjoy |
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you'll definitely |
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Every Indian train has ticketless |
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gypsies, beggars, and sweeper boys |
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who make their living earning tips |
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I meet every type of people here |
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Maybe they are millionaires |
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they are the poorest |
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They are engineers, doctors, bankers |
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Every type of persons I am meeting here |
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And when I travel I talk |
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I have an opportunity to talk to them |
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make friendship with them |
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We sometimes come closer to them |
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and we become family friends for life |
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For centuries |
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explorers have been drawn to the east |
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In the 1660's |
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of the strand of islands |
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They would make them the great port |
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Their Gateway of India still stands as |
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Bombay's now one of India's |
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And the British presence seems unchanged |
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Opened in 1888 |
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it was built on the site of the first |
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But now it's the headquarters of Central |
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the busiest of nine zones |
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From this historic place |
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one of the most important me |
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This is the seat of power of |
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Every morning |
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Birendra Vishnu calls upon his officers |
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to account for every detail |
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From major accidents to minor delays |
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nothing escapes his attention |
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It was from this same office |
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And with independence |
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they turned it over to Indian leadership |
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But now the G.M. |
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with 200,000 men beneath him |
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Ah Madhan |
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What is happening today? |
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What are your prospects of loading? |
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Sir, yesterday, we made 8.5 |
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Alright, you just speak to C.M.E. |
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Your diesel utilization has slumped |
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Your diesel utilization is slumped |
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Your six-wagon balances |
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The stable loads are heavy |
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Hello Madhan? Ah, Rambu Rao, Kutny shed |
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for the last fifteen days |
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it has been having very high failure rate |
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Vishnu is more than a figurehead |
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If something goes wrong |
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he shoulders the full responsibility |
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And every month |
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he makes it a point to leave his office |
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Like a present-day maharaja |
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Vishnu holds court in his private |
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with full kitchen staff in attendance |
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and all the ceremonies inherited |
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The Indian Railways constitute |
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And it was given to us by the British |
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They gave us two things |
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The Indian railways |
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and a very powerful administrative system |
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We are now going on an inspection trip |
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And during this inspection trip |
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we propose to go over the entire |
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See what management techniques are there |
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See how the cabins, the points |
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and the people who manage these points |
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and look over the equipment |
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Each one has his area of responsibility |
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And a super-check has to be exercised |
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So when we go out line |
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our objective is to find out what |
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And take measures to overcome them |
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No single person can possibly |
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The system depends on workers |
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Under the eyes of the cabinmen |
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tens of thousand of coaches transport |
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And one mistake can cost thousands |
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For this is a human railway |
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where the strength of a lever man means |
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It is the largest employer in the world |
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Officially, 1.6 million work for |
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But Vishnu estimates that |
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nearly 80 million people depend on it |
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The Grand Trunk Express continues |
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The trip from New Delhi to Mardras |
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But for many, |
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And it doesn't matter how long it takes |
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Long-distance trains have become |
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And those on board are captive audiences |
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who earn their keep |
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providing everything from entertainment |
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On a train, meals are a big event |
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and passengers are constantly being |
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Twelve bearers run the length of |
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waiting on as many as 2,000 people |
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They serve up to 400 hot railway meals |
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In the pantry car |
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cooks prepare food to suit the religious |
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nonveg or vegetarian |
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for Muslims, Hindus, Christians |
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The hardest job may be in trying to |
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And tastes do change from north to south |
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The food is |
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for a man it is very sufficient |
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It is comfortable |
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yes exactly it is more than sufficient |
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It is given to us because here you have |
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We call it the grains and then vegetables |
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Also, available then it is a full meal |
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If there is a spirit of the railway |
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it is found in the thousands of small |
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which have become part of the fabric of |
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They are centers where everyone gathers |
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And those who can't afford to travel |
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The most impressive arrivals have always |
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lovingly called the "black Beauties" |
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They ride on the widest rails |
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and their wheels stand taller than a man |
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But their presence is now becoming rare |
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and those who grew up with them will |
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Black is beautiful |
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Our steam locos are our black beauties |
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We feel with the phasing |
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as if we are doing away with |
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kit and kin |
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All throughout Eastern Railway |
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loco sheds are busy preparing their |
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It is a competition like no other |
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Only the best engines are entered |
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and to win the Black Beauty is |
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Dhanbad, Rampur Hat, Sahibganj |
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Asansol, Jha Jha... five sheds hurry |
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transforming these workhorses into |
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This possibly should be the very last |
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We mean to bring to you |
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when they were is their heydays |
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To show how they looked |
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And for just one more time perhaps lived |
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and outlived the glory of those days |
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when the steam locos bore the burnt of |
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The reason behind a Black Beauty Contest |
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because perhaps this is the last time |
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that we are going to be able to have such |
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perhaps in the rest of the world |
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steam will continue |
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But on Indian Railways |
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the pressures of economics have forced us |
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With its lovable sound |
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and unique visual pleasure |
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which children loved |
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and therefore aspired to become |
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It helps people to remember that |
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the steam has served a glorious era |
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if you look back into the past |
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There is intense competition |
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amongst all those who have slaved |
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these 10 competing locomotives |
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and therefore each one wants to |
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Therefore the judges are under |
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perhaps more than the judges are |
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And they have to |
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therefore, make it as scientific |
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They have, therefore |
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divided the system of grading into |
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One is decoration |
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for which they give 25 percent marks |
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the functionality, which is |
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we are giving as much as 50 percent marks |
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and also the ceramic blanketing is |
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And I think that the judges will be |
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and may the best loco win |
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What is important when you see a |
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when - the whole thing should be |
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The moment you see a black spot |
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that's the time there when there's a hole |
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and then the firebox can burn |
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So when you are seeing the fire |
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you have to see that it looks |
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that there's no localized black spot |
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Plus the thickness, the firebox should |
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Those are things we have to look for |
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how he is maintaining the fire |
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very important |
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Everybody wants to win |
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and none more than Mr. Arora |
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a shed foreman who has worked in steam |
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Onboard Rampur Hat's engine |
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he is never at a loss for words |
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explaining that even with |
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they had just run out a time |
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Like all of the engines |
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the judges take into account |
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They put her through the paces |
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while Arora hangs on like a doting father |
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Those bosses, my examiners |
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they have been very much pleased |
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with my staff, with my driver |
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and the other fellows you know |
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all the whole |
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Rampur Hat has done in decorating |
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in making it fit mechanically sound |
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and I think we have got |
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then at least 90 percent |
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Now we should leave the results to |
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Almighty God is there |
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They parade in all their glory |
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and anticipation runs high |
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Now it's up to the judges to |
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Nandini will claim the price |
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For Nandini and her crew this is |
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But they know |
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as they back her into the shed that |
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For despite the fact that the black |
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another fate awaits them |
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In northeast India |
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a little toy train climbs the foothills |
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the tallest mountains in the world |
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Every morning |
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Buddhist monks look towards the East |
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welcoming the sun to the remote mountain |
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Darjiling has always been a frontier town |
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where an oriental look enters |
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But is also tells of another heritage |
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The British loved the climate so much |
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they mad it a hill station to escape |
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And the sounds of the train they brought |
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For the people of the mountain |
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the train has always been a part of |
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In the days of the British raj |
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it carried the famous Darjiling tea |
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Eighteen little locomotives run back and |
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The youngest is 70-years-old |
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and the oldest is a hundred-and-five |
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Everyday, several trains climb from |
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in about the same amount of time |
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it took Mark Twain |
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The beginning of every trip is |
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Each engine is an antique heirloom |
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And they look after them like living |
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feeding and watering them |
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The fireman knows that |
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only a good head of steam can carry |
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to reach the highest station |
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With two men riding on front |
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ready to throw sand on the rails |
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and a coal breaker riding on top |
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the train finally sets out |
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Each engine has its own distinct |
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And no one understands his better |
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Like his father |
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he was assigned this same loco for life |
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And everyone along the way knows its him |
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For Sherab Tenduf |
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one of many who have fought |
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it's a reminder that some things |
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And not to have it would be a great loss |
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When I was young |
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people really didn't travel that |
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The airplane hadn't arrived |
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And the train was an important image |
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An escape to the outer world |
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A chance to see something |
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You had this train which represented |
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We used to jump on and off the train |
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Tickets weren't that important |
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There was the chugging |
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the sound of the movement of the train |
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The energy of this train |
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it was like a little Tibetan terrier |
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The obstacles that the British overcame |
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On the foothills of the Himalaya |
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they had little room to maneuver |
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and only by ingenious loops |
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and the narrowest of tracks could |
| 00:32:27 |
If the train does not run |
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we do feel that there is something absent |
| 00:32:31 |
and we do feel it very strongly |
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But as long as it is there |
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yes it's a part of life |
| 00:32:38 |
And everyday if we don't see it |
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we see that something is definitely |
| 00:33:09 |
India is a country of villages |
| 00:33:14 |
More than 70 percent of its people live |
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where there is no hurry |
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And only the changing seasons mark |
| 00:33:35 |
This is where the railway is a lifeline |
| 00:33:38 |
bringing these remote areas in touch |
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In south India |
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Palur is one of thousands of small way |
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which haven't changed much |
| 00:34:00 |
It is a single line track off |
| 00:34:04 |
and only four trains a day stop here |
| 00:34:12 |
Mr. Govindarajan is the stationmaster |
| 00:34:15 |
He took a demotion from a bigger station |
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choosing Palur to be near his sick wife |
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and to live out his days |
| 00:34:30 |
He shares his responsibilities |
| 00:34:33 |
a railway widow who is officially |
| 00:34:39 |
Between the two of them |
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"Palur" means "milk village" |
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and for the last hundred years |
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the villagers have relied on the milk |
| 00:35:06 |
to carry their cans to the city markets |
| 00:35:10 |
But before the train arrives |
| 00:35:12 |
Govindarajan must coordinate |
| 00:35:16 |
to make sure that his line is clear |
| 00:35:30 |
It is a time-honored system |
| 00:35:32 |
in place since the days of the British |
| 00:35:35 |
a ball token must be carried |
| 00:35:38 |
giving him the right-of-way |
| 00:35:43 |
At every station |
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he must pass the token |
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only then will he have permission |
| 00:35:57 |
I am asking line clear |
| 00:36:16 |
The line is officially open |
| 00:36:18 |
and Kamakshi can change the signals |
| 00:36:21 |
that will indicate to the driver |
| 00:36:23 |
that the track ahead is safe |
| 00:36:42 |
She will pass the ball on to the driver |
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and prepares the cane pouch |
| 00:36:48 |
She is one of the few women working |
| 00:36:52 |
but gained her job after a great loss |
| 00:36:56 |
Her husband had been a fireman |
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and committed suicide when he didn't |
| 00:37:04 |
It is the railway's custom to give |
| 00:37:08 |
And Kamakshi will have a job for life |
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As the train comes in |
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the ball token is handed over |
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Now the driver can move safely into |
| 00:37:59 |
Mr. Govindarajan has dedicated 33 years |
| 00:38:05 |
and understands better than anyone |
| 00:38:12 |
But changes are coming |
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and he has received word that |
| 00:38:18 |
will not be filled |
| 00:38:20 |
and Palur station will be closed |
| 00:38:25 |
They tell him that with only a few |
| 00:38:28 |
there just isn't enough profit |
| 00:38:31 |
Soon the trains won't be stopping here |
| 00:38:34 |
and people will have to take the roads |
| 00:38:37 |
He will be the last station master of Palur |
| 00:39:02 |
On Southern Railway, south of Madras |
| 00:39:05 |
the Pondicherry Special makes her |
| 00:39:29 |
Nothing evokes the romance of the |
| 00:39:33 |
Her arrival into Pondicherry station |
| 00:39:37 |
and she will bring the platform to life |
| 00:39:50 |
This is one of the few holdouts of steam |
| 00:39:53 |
The locomotives were phased out of |
| 00:39:57 |
and now even small stations are seeing |
| 00:40:06 |
But perhaps the greatest loss |
| 00:40:08 |
will be felt by those who have steam |
| 00:40:12 |
And Dhandapani is one who'll feel it |
| 00:40:17 |
A third-generation railwayman |
| 00:40:19 |
he became what his father |
| 00:40:21 |
a gatekeeper |
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always hoped he would be a driver |
| 00:40:26 |
the pride of the line |
| 00:40:28 |
Now he's been given the honor of takin |
| 00:41:03 |
His engine may be old and worn down |
| 00:41:06 |
but Dhandapani knows that what he is |
| 00:41:13 |
And he's always been proud of his duty |
| 00:41:51 |
In India, the relationship between |
| 00:41:59 |
The firemen, guards, cabinmasters |
| 00:42:03 |
all have developed a deep bond |
| 00:42:16 |
Stationmasters on the single |
| 00:42:19 |
and the drivers of steam know that |
| 00:42:37 |
Now, the trading of the cane pouch marks |
| 00:43:25 |
Both Govindarajan and Dhandapani |
| 00:43:30 |
the Pondicherry Special has been condemned |
| 00:43:35 |
And little Palur station is now |
| 00:43:54 |
Varanasi, Madurai, Barddhaman |
| 00:43:59 |
these are some of the sheds where |
| 00:44:03 |
were born to serve the locomotive |
| 00:44:12 |
And where it was always believed that |
| 00:44:14 |
a father's knowledge would one day be |
| 00:44:27 |
We'll be closing down this steam loco |
| 00:44:31 |
when the last of these Black Beauties |
| 00:44:35 |
This shed had something like 71 |
| 00:44:41 |
What we feel sad about the whole thing |
| 00:44:43 |
is that something which fascinated every |
| 00:44:50 |
many years is dying out |
| 00:45:00 |
And what I feel personally sad about |
| 00:45:02 |
is that with the locomotives |
| 00:45:08 |
who had nerves of steel |
| 00:45:10 |
they were men of muscle |
| 00:45:11 |
understood metal |
| 00:45:13 |
what it was all about |
| 00:45:22 |
What we get today in lieu is the diesels |
| 00:45:26 |
the electrics, which have really |
| 00:45:29 |
They're all technology |
| 00:45:31 |
There's no spirit behind them |
| 00:45:34 |
To us as old railway men |
| 00:45:36 |
they are really not comparables |
| 00:45:42 |
This shed where the epitaph |
| 00:45:47 |
will see a gloomy picture |
| 00:45:51 |
And we'll lose ever so slightly |
| 00:45:56 |
something on which the railways |
| 00:45:58 |
have survived for the last hundred |
| 00:46:05 |
With that a lot of our soul will be gone |
| 00:46:27 |
Everyday |
| 00:46:28 |
more and more black beauties are being |
| 00:46:33 |
The iron beasts are now easy prey |
| 00:46:37 |
who will take even their last bits of |
| 00:46:42 |
The once busy sheds are becoming |
| 00:46:52 |
For loco foreman Mr. Arora |
| 00:46:54 |
returning is like visiting old friends |
| 00:46:59 |
You see |
| 00:47:03 |
I was born and brought up |
| 00:47:06 |
Now I feel as if I am left all alone |
| 00:47:09 |
and I am standing like a helpless |
| 00:47:12 |
but this is the demand from my nation |
| 00:47:24 |
I feel as if a most loving member |
| 00:47:30 |
is being cut into pieces in my presence |
| 00:47:35 |
an old man, who is looking after |
| 00:47:39 |
and he is standing |
| 00:47:40 |
and he cannot do anything |
| 00:47:47 |
Feel so bad |
| 00:47:48 |
Really I feel like weeping |
| 00:47:50 |
I become helpless creature but |
| 00:47:53 |
as I've told you, a day one has to die |
| 00:47:57 |
Similarly, they have also to vanish |
| 00:48:17 |
All across India |
| 00:48:19 |
steam sheds have turned |
| 00:48:23 |
The locomotives await the highest bidder |
| 00:48:42 |
They are the businessmen |
| 00:48:43 |
who have waited for the sheds to close |
| 00:48:49 |
They buy the engines which are |
| 00:48:51 |
to them, worth only their weight |
| 00:49:40 |
Most of these men of steam will |
| 00:49:46 |
Some will have to be retrained |
| 00:49:48 |
and others may have to relocate far |
| 00:49:53 |
But for all a way of life is over |
| 00:50:33 |
There will be one survivor of steam |
| 00:50:36 |
and by government ruling |
| 00:50:46 |
It is the Darjeeling-Haimalayan toy train |
| 00:50:50 |
the oldest mountain railway in India |
| 00:51:00 |
She is the symbol of the railway |
| 00:51:03 |
and evokes the emotional |
| 00:51:06 |
which the country has for its trains |
| 00:51:11 |
The men who run her stand for the many |
| 00:51:14 |
who have devoted themselves to keeping |
| 00:51:27 |
And for all those whose lives it touches |
| 00:51:31 |
this will always be the great |
