The
Darjeeling Himalayan Railway
Do we
recall trouper Rajesh Khanna crooning ‘Mere Sapno Ki Rani’ for the blockbuster
film Aradhana? How many people are aware that the graphic sequence was canned
on the renowned Darjeeling Hill Railway?
Darjeeling
is a quintessential hill station, nestled neatly in the eastern state of West
Bengal. To this day the town remains the terminus of the much-vaunted narrow
gauge Darjeeling Himalayan Railway which was commissioned in the year 1881.
The DHR
laid on a serpentine track earned the moniker ‘Toy Train.’ It is a 610 mm
narrow-gauge railway which links the 88 kms between the bustling towns of
Siliguri and Darjeeling.
This
robust railway system that survived two major earthquakes played a pivotal role
in organizing supplies to the camps established around Darjeeling during the
Second World War
In
1999, DHR was recognized by UNESCO and placed on the World Heritage List with a
caveat that only steamed-hauled locomotives would continue to be used along the
route.
“Our
life is a constant journey, from birth to death. The landscape changes, the
people change, our needs change, but the train keeps moving. Life is the train,
not the station.” writes the inspirational Paulo Coelho.
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