#Review: The Social Life of Indian Trains by Amitava Kumar

The Social Life of Indian Trains: A Journey
Author: Amitava Kumar
Publisher: Aleph Book Company
Rating: 4/5

In The Social Life of Indian Trains, Amitava Kumar turns a familiar mode of transport into a lens through which India itself can be read. This is not a conventional travelogue, nor is it a dry history of the railways. Instead, the book unfolds as a series of reflective journeys—physical, social, and cultural—where trains become moving microcosms of the nation.

Kumar’s strength lies in observation. Whether he is travelling on the Himsagar Express, stretching from Kashmir to Kanyakumari, or reflecting on the iconic Darjeeling Himalayan Railway, he is attentive to the people, conversations, silences, and contradictions that fill these compartments. Trains here are not merely vehicles; they are spaces where class, language, memory, migration, and aspiration collide. The writing is meditative, often lyrical, and rooted in lived experience rather than grand theorising.

What works particularly well is the balance between history and the present. Kumar weaves colonial legacies, post-independence ambition, and modern mobility into a seamless narrative, reminding readers how deeply Indian Railways is stitched into the national psyche. The book also quietly comments on change—superfast trains, expanding networks, and the relentless forward motion of the country.

That said, readers expecting fast-paced storytelling or detailed technical history may find the pace slow and the structure loose. The book demands patience, much like train travel itself.

Overall, The Social Life of Indian Trains is thoughtful, intimate, and quietly powerful—a book best read unhurriedly, allowing its reflections to linger, much like the rhythm of wheels on tracks.

Find the book here.