Old Delhi Railway Station

From exiting the metro station of Chandni Chowk the stories start to
unfold. The whole rush and diversity in people, from tourists to
decades old local people. Everyone and everything is here. This region
of Delhi shows the blend of history and cultural diversity. Everything
is on a single road. The right from the metro station takes you to a
web of markets and monuments and historical religious places. To the
left the road leads to Old Delhi Railway Station. A beautiful mix of life
and history. Keep your eyes and ears open all the time. This place
offers so much in a single frame.

The mighty Old Delhi Railway Station is here, the whole architecture
tells its tale on its own. The very alleys speak to you and narrate your
million tales of history and homes. For many people it’s just a
location, yet for some it’s beyond emotion. If you are a history buff
like me, then you can never have enough of this place. The blend of
modern tech into the old buildings shows the hope of moving ahead
with all the passion of the past. 

Delhi Junction, also known as Old Delhi Railway Station (station code:
DLI), is the oldest railway station of Delhi city and a Junction station. It
is one of the busiest railway stations in India in terms of frequency.
Around 250 trains start, end, or pass through the station daily. It was
established near Chandni Chowk in 1864 when trains from Howrah,
Calcutta started operating up to Delhi. Its present building was
constructed by the British Indian government in the style of nearby
red-colored fort and opened in 1903.

That old building provides some amazing perspectives, what makes
them so unique is their locations. This high glass pane allows sunlight
to fall in the interiors of the station. Just below this glass pane is the
ticket counters. In the daytime, the natural reflected sunlight fills the
place with light. In the days of rain, it gets even more amazing with
droplets falling on the glass roof and people often enjoying amazing
delicious food. Sounds like a cute little street food date before the
real journey kicks in.

Sleeping Tourist.
Woh sotae hue musafir ghar se nikle hai ghar ki oar,
Yooh laetae raaho mae lagte kisi ko gande kisi ko choar,
Woh unka akhbaar bicha kae so jaana,
Safar se lambe din yooh baith kae kaat jaana,
Yeh chai kae sahare ghanto aakhae khol lete hai,
Khaanae kae naam par geele chawal gatak lete hai.

The Book Shop
Mai yha hoon peedhio sae,
Abba jaan lagaya krte they dukaan,
Aae din mai batata hoon raaste,
Un musafiro ko jo safar mae bhi anjaan,
Koi laeta hai kitaabe,
Koi aadhe daamo mae dae jaata hai,
Lambae safar mae padhnae ko kitaab,
Aur sonae ko akhbaar hi kaam aata hai.

From the security pass to your platform, this little fort provides you
several ways to move yourself with your luggage. You can take the
stairs, you have the option of escalators or you can ride on the newest
addition of this place an EV; to take you luxuriously to your coach
with your luggage. For some people who have been here for a long
time, they still love the stairs. They have grown old with this station in
such a blended way that both know each other very well and shared
many experiences and secrets.

Come here in day time or night falls, walk through these bridges
connecting platforms. They will always be full of energy and stories,
everyone is going somewhere and some are stuck here. Yet beyond it
all, there is something about this unison of crowd. It feels like a huge
family, with everything and anything around; one gets the mini world
here. From a distance all of this might look like a noise and rushing
people, but when you come in between it and become part of this
whole world. You realize that each footstep and each shout is a
different journey; a different story; a different life.

From the poor to the rich to the nomads to the workers. This lifeline
takes all of them to several places throughout their lives. Each train
has its own unique crowd and conversations. This may remind you of
Mumbai locals but this youth is on their way to Rohtak. Most of them
are local workers going home for Janmashtami. The nomadic saints
are on their way to old memories too. A single coach may have up to
hundreds of people in it, yet how surprisingly we neglect all those
tales of diverse emotions. Thinking all of them to be the same. A
single conversation can show you the entire other side of the coin of
your life. The world you were always surrounded with yet never able
to get into it.

Something which most people don’t generally prefer is travelling in an
empty coach. Unlike this old gentleman, he loves empty trains. He
loves the silence and the only sound of a train moving on tracks. He’s
been doing this for decades now, each year he takes a little break
from his work and goes back to his roots to live and enjoy those
memories again. He is getting very old now, yet nothing changed. He
says, “ I might wouldn’t able to live another decade of my life. Even
on my deathbed, these journeys will be my most cherish able
memory.”

These people are the backbone of the whole system. With their
invisible roles and life of not so much acknowledgement. They take
great pride in their work. Their work takes them to different places
around the world and everywhere they feel home. Each time they
hear of any train mishap, they broke down as they lost their family
member. Each time they see a train passing they get shine on their
face. They know if not them then someone is taking care of that train,
altogether they make a big family of mechanics.

These railway stations have been here from years and will be here for
years to come. Due to many new places and more options, this
landmark of Delhi might often get overlooked, but there is something
in these lanes and walks of life. Which you wouldn’t get anywhere
else. The railways might have reached several epitomes of journeys,
but each time someone looks back; they know it all started from here.
The place that has neighbors old as centuries and diversity full of life
and tales. Life takes new eyes when you go back in time.

The End.