An Indecisive Indian

  There are two distinct species of people—albeit at opposite ends of the opinionated spectrum—who are my perennial bêtes noires, my fate-bound tormentors in the grand circus of public discourse. On one side are the unwavering zealots, those impervious to all evidence, chanting the mantra of Vishwaguru! (Teacher to the world), while reality smoulders quietly in the background, like embers that have not erupted into full flames but are still destructive, hiding an ignored quagmire while the grand illusion persists. For them, Indian Railways (IR) is racing ahead at full throttle—never mind the frequent derailments, both literal and metaphorical. No matter that while eloquence and hype swirl abundantly in the air, action and completion remain as rare as a punctual sarkari (governmental) file. Then there is the other lot, equally insufferable, who believe that IR is an irredeemable mess, a grand monument to incompetence, incapable of so much as tightening a loose nut without divine int...

Safety on Indian Railways (IR) comes to the fore with frenetic TV and media debates, narratives, and counter-narratives every time there is a major mishap. But as the national attention span rivals that of a goldfish, the issue fades as soon as the headlines move on. Fortunately, barring the unfortunate stampede at New Delhi Railway Station on February 15, there has been a respite for months. This, therefore, is the time to rise above the din and take a hard look at railway safety—before another disaster rudely reminds us. Whenever railway safety becomes a hot topic, critics claim that IR prioritizes optics over safety, leading to a rise in accidents, while the government alleges nefarious activities of sabotage by external enemies. Both narratives miss the mark. The number of accidents has actually declined, but the sabotage theory, fuelled by cases of occasional track obstructions, was never convincing as most cases were rather trivial, even childish, to cause a derailment. I have al...