HYDERABAD : Deepak Sapra, a former Indian Railways Service officer has more than love for the giant moving vehicle. His debut novel, ‘The Boy Who Loved Trains’ is about a young officer called Jeet Arora posted in Eastern Railways and how his love for trains leads him to a series of adventures. We spoke to him. Excerpts:
In your book you describe the beauty of the Indian railways in great detail but you also don’t shy away from the talking about the negatives. Can you tell us a bit more about that?
They are two sides of the same coin. First, the fact that many of us have been on trains throughout our lives is a testament to the outstanding commitment of thousands of railway workers working behind the scenes. For example, during the Bhopal gas tragedy I write about how the Bhopal Station manager saved thousands of lives by sacrificing his own. Now on the other hand, like any large set up with a large legacy, there are systems and processes that make it very difficult for people. One of it is the very strong notion of hierarchy prevelant in the Indian railways. So yes there are both sides of the story which are true.
Are the incidents that you narrate in your book purely fictional or do they have any iota of truth?
Many of these stories are true to a large extent. The person who is narrating to me or the protagonist rather, about the Bhopal incident was real and was working there at that time. They are largely based on real people and real stuff that happened out there.
You just said ‘me’ while referring to the protagonist. How much of this book is autobiographical considering your own background in the railways?
It is to a large extent. Many of these incidents happened with me. Of course I have changed names of people, places and dates. Most of these incidents are based on what happened to me or my friends.
You have also incorporated a lot of historical events like the Babri Masjid demolition, the Bhopal gas leak, many derailments that occured and so on. What was the need for that?
I think there is a strong connection with what happens in India and with our trains. Whether as a cause or an effect or a facilitating mechanism to help people get out. At the time of the Babri Masjid demolition, the entire government machinery came to a stop but trains still kept moving. Railways are a microcosm of India and reflects what we are as a country.
There is a lot of technical information about trains in the book. Was it your love or knowledge of trains that made you write this?
It was my love for trains. At the age of 10 I had the entire Indian Railways timetable memorised. Later on, somehow life offered me to be a part of that set up and a host of interesting experiences came through. There are some technical details and I wish I could have simplified, but at the end I hope this book invokes a sense of nostalgia and longing in the reader.