Journey Beyond Borders

Running from Delhi in the north to the southern state of Kerala, an epic 46-hour journey on board the Kerala Express brings writer Monisha Rajesh closer to India’s cultures, traditions and communities

Over the roar of engines, vendors’ cries and slamming of doors, I strained to decipher the Hindi announcement, searching a fellow passenger’s face for clues. He frowned, then pouted and flicked his wrist which translated loosely as “who knows?”.

It was just after 8pm and with five minutes until departure, the Kerala Express to Kottayam was nowhere in sight. Platform 3 at New Delhi railway station was crammed with students, pilgrims, backpackers, hawkers, multi-generational families and a small circle of bearded sadhus who’d begun to set up deities to perform puja.

After a couple of weeks of travelling around India by train, I’d come to admire the way in which a country of more than 1.4 billion people had mastered the art of indifference when it came to delays.  – one of many lessons I learnt on board the world’s greatest railway.