In the loophole

The relationship between a train and a music composer may not be a very obvious one — but the rhythm of a moving train has inspired many a song. The Darjeeling toy train has a special relationship with the legendary Sachin Dev Burman. His song ‘Mere sapno ki rani’, from the film Aradhana (1969), catapulted the train to the league of India’s most romantic icons and, also, Bollywood’s hall of fame.

Almost 50 years after Rajesh Khanna serenaded Sharmila Tagore on that scenic route between New Jalpaiguri and Darjeeling, the Indian Railway Board has green-flagged a project that seeks to combine the twin attractions of the toy train and the tea gardens it snakes past. Chairman Ashwani Lohani has also appealed to the West Bengal government to repair NH-55 (the narrow-gauge track crosses over this road after it leaves Kurseong), which is often ravaged by landslides.

The initial draft suggests halts at five tea gardens along the way. It also proposes hiring local residents to guide tourists as they sample the food of the region and buy tea from the estates. Those interested can also collect nuggets of information on how Darjeeling tea, counted among the finest brews in the world, is made. A tasting session will guide tourists on how to distinguish between the first flush variety from the second, and also teach them a thing or two about brewing tea in a pot.

In slow motion: A Railway Board proposal suggests halts at five tea gardens on the New Jalpaiguri-Darjeeling route. Photo: Gurvinder Singh

A circular issued on April 25, 2018, has empowered the divisional railway managers (DRMs) of the Darjeeling Himalayan Railways (DHR) to engage suitable agencies, including Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation, to design and market the tourist packages on the toy train route.

However, the effort is not free of hurdles.

The first is the displeasure that Unesco has expressed over the maintenance of the heritage train and the closure of some stations due to shortage of manpower, among other things. At a two-day technical meeting held in Kurseong in the last week of May, a delegation also criticised DHR for disposing of heritage material as scrap during a cleanliness drive. The railways immediately dispatched a letter to the zonal authority, asking it to take the steps necessary so as not to be downgraded from the World Heritage list.

Confirming the development, CP Gupta, DRM of Katihar division, which controls Northeast Frontier Railways (of which DHR is a unit), says, “The Unesco displeasure should not impact our new project of merging toy trains and tourism. We are not touching heritage assets, but modifications are necessary in order to introduce new services. We must bring in new technology if we want to run air-conditioned coaches.”

While the West Bengal tourism minister Goutam Deb has welcomed the Railway Board initiative (“We will extend our support,” he told BL ink ), the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha, whose stir for a separate statehood last year cost the region’s tea and tourism industries ₹400 crore in losses, is less enthusiastic. “It’s good that the Centre is taking steps to increase tourism in the hills but equal attention should be paid for creating employment opportunities for the local youth. We won’t accept anything that encourages outsiders and snatches jobs from our men,” says KK Thapa, a senior leader from the Kurseong subdivision.

Tea scientists, too, are apprehensive over the idea. “The gardens are reeling under the impact of climate change. The increasing influx of tourists could lead to further damage — especially in terms of pollution caused by polythene bags and other non-biodegradable materials. Selfie enthusiasts might damage tea leaves and hamper the soil quality. The entry of visitors should be restricted to only certain sections of the gardens,” says Mrityunjay Choubey, senior scientific officer at Darjeeling Tea Research and Development Centre (DTR&DC) in Kurseong.

Jeta Sankrityayana, professor of economics at Sikkim University, is unsure of the success of toy train-tea tourism, “Only those gardens included in the itinerary will benefit. Moreover, all tea estates look similar and tourists might find the experience repetitive, unless they are offered something that will help distinguish one garden from another.”

Instead of promoting tourism, says Sankrityayana, the narrow-gauge railway network should be used to resolve longstanding local issues. “Special trains could carry water to Darjeeling. Solid waste is disposed of in the river valleys through mountain chutes, which is unhygienic. A safer option is ferrying by train. Moreover, restoration of freightage will reduce traffic congestion while cutting transportation cost significantly,” he explains.

It now remains to be seen if the icon of Bollywood romance and the champagne of teas can ride out these rough patches to become the famous new jodi in town.

Gurvinder Singh is a freelance journalist based in Kolkata