#  >  > Travellers Tales in Thailand and Asia >  >  > Thailand, Asia & the rest of the World Questions & Answers Forum >  >  Photo Essay - A train passenger's view of India

## David48atTD

Shanu Babar loves train journeys so much that he began documenting his. 

Soon, others joined him.


Shanu Babar was five years  old when he first boarded a train. It was the start of a life-long love  affair. 
In college, he documented a series of train journeys across  India for his dissertation. 
This selfie was taken in February 2015 at a  station in Trivandrum, capital of the southern state of Kerala.



On 21 July 2015, Mr Babar launched @windowseatproject to record his  journeys on Instagram. 
The "window seat", he says, has always been his  favourite spot on a train. 
It was also his vantage point for this photo  of the colourful Ernad Express, with each coach advertising a different  brand.



Travellers often carry elaborate home-cooked meals for train journeys.  
Mr Babar says they remind him of his family's "feasts" during their  annual trip across the hills of western India. 
The menu would include  curries, breads, rice and masala puris, a deep-fried Indian bread where  the dough is stuffed with spices.



Photos from contributors kept pouring in, turning @windowseatproject  into a crowd-sourced visual library. 
This, Mr Babar says, is how dairy  farmers across India transport milk from rural farms to urban markets  because 
there is no place inside the trains for so many milk cans.

Lots more here from the BBC

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## Luigi

Don't think I want to imagine what the toilets on an Indian train are like.  :Smile:

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## Slick

I don't think I want to imagine what its like to even be there and have to stand in a queue/line and deal with people there. 


Quite possibly one of the last locations I would ever choose to be. Sit at home and play PS4 for a week on end - or - go there and ride a train? 



PS4 it is.

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## Luigi

I made the mistake of going into KFC in Indra shopping centre under Baiyoke Tower once, fok me that a horrid experience.


As close as I'm ever going to get to the stomach churning coonts.  :Smile:

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## terry57

> Don't think I want to imagine what the toilets on an Indian train are like.


Here ya go Lu-Lu.   Farrkin Helllloooo.  :Roll Eyes (Sarcastic):

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## Albert Shagnasty2017

^
And that's in first class.

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## terry57

The last time in was in India was 4 years ago and we traveled extensively by train. The filthy coonts would just sweep all the shit from the train straight out the door and i shit you not this was the scene country wide. It's a grim fookin place and one must really dig deep to travel the fookin shit house. Some great stuff to see though in-between the shit, piss,  rampant poverty and disease.  :Smile:

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## terry57

> ^
> And that's in first class.


Yer, second class sleeper.

In third class ya can not get into the shitter to smash a bad boy out because some Indian waste of space is either, cooking, fuking his boy friend or sleeping in there.  :St George:

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## beerlaodrinker

Shanu Bashar is indeed correct. There's some awesome train journeys to be had in India. The trick is just pay more and do it first class . No point in being a tight coont . Took the train from Madras to delhi once. Fooker took forever but bloody memorable.thank fook I had a tolla  of manalis finest hash and a walkman that was about 30 years ago.

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## Albert Shagnasty2017

> I had a tolla of manalis finest hash


Boom Shiva.
That's some lovely gear.

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## Davis Knowlton

During my three years in India (83-86) I used the trains all the time. Ran on time and much safer than the roads. I enjoyed them much more than driving.

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## beerlaodrinker

> Boom Shiva.
> That's some lovely gear.


Had a nice little hand carved chillum to , which unfortunately I had forgotten to throw away before boarding a flight to London. That resulted in me answering a lot of questions and a latex gloved finger probing me blurter

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## terry57

If ya got a weak stomach then do not visit and Indian railways station. Fookin shit everywhere.  :irish:

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## terry57

And this lucky lady had the privilege of picking up garbage whist trying to not step in Shit.  :Smile:

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## Slick

Fuck that's nasty.

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## terry57

^

That's India in a nut shell mate, I've got a shit load more if ya really wanna see em.  :Smile: 

But the guy or bint who shat that lot out had just consumed a raw prawn i reckon.  :spam2:

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## terry57

Rather comfy and sociable way to travel though.  :Smile:

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## uncle junior

India's a shithole,,,did have some good train rides there though

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## David48atTD

ANYONE who have Images/Stories please feel free to share.

... have to admit, I'm a Train Fan.

Not a spotter, just a Fan

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## Takeovers

Only very remotely connected. I once was asked if I was interested in a job modernizing the communications and signalling infrastructure of the Indian rail system. At the time I had just finished my time in Saudi Arabia and had talked to many who did expat jobs regularly. My children were just about to enter elementary school. I had learned that such jobs are a one off or they become a lifestyle that is not compatible with family and children. Often ending in divorce. I decided it was a one off for me. A great experience but once was enough. I had to fight down some temptation about India but it was not a hard fight.

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## terry57

I've got a few picks of the happy workers on An Indian train.  :Smile:

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## terry57



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## terry57



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## terry57



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## terry57

Fook.   :spam2:

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## terry57



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## terry57

This guy had just killed his mother so was quite joyful.  :Smile:

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## terry57

She just had a bog and was ready to get on the happy train.  Oh yes, India is quite the trip.  :Smile: 

Some people say it's so spiritual, i say It's a race to see who dies first.  :spam2:

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## DJ Pat

Those Indians don't do a lot to improve their worldwide reputation

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## terry57

^

The Indians themselves are quite a friendly bunch and when riding trains in Second class 2 tier sleeper one meets some really interesting and well informed people.

But at the end of the day it's a hard slog if ya wanna really see the good stuff.

Being younger is a massive plus, i was 29 on my first trip and spent 4 months traveling the country from South to North finishing in Katmandu. 

Trip of my life that one. 

Every other trip after that has been quite the test.  :Smile:

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## terry57

The trains are quite good and set up same as Thai trains.

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## terry57

We traveled Second class 2 tier sleeper which was two bunks down and two up.  Select the bottom bunks and all good. Sometimes we lucked out and traveled second class 3 tier which is not my go.

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## terry57

Upper bunks.  OK if ya get stuck for a lower one.

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## terry57

The Indians have Issues with keeping shit clean. Not high on their agenda.

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## terry57

Ya really want to be fit and healthy before pulling on any serious travel in that shit house.

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## terry57

They post up the names of the punters in each carriage, ya go along find ya carriage and check you are on it. 

Never ever go 3 Rd class. Free seating and one massive shit fight with punters climbing through windows to get on first. 

Good fun watching that.  :Smile:

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## DJ Pat

Nice selection of pics. 

So when you wake up on the train next morning, are people hanging off the sides for rush hour?

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## David48atTD

> Nice selection of pics. 
> 
> So when you wake up on the train next morning, are people hanging off the sides for rush hour?




              In March, Mr Babar climbed on  to the roof of the Sheopur Kalan Express as it hurtled through central  India. 
Passengers were on the roof because the train was overcrowded.  They read newspapers, fell asleep and when 
the train approached a  tunnel, Mr Babar recalls everybody lowering their heads together. 

"It's  bizarre what people could get used to," he says.

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## terry57

Havin a Kip.

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## terry57

Platform wallas.

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## terry57



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## terry57



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## terry57



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## terry57



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## terry57



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## terry57



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## David48atTD

*Terry* ... great images.

Your personal favourite route/s?

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## terry57

^

I have no favorite route in India,  the place is so massive ya just pick a destination make sure ya get a second class 2 tier sleeper and go for it.  I like to do a day and night then get into a decent hotel and get ready for the next trip. 

I don't like first class because they are cabins and ya stuck in them with no interaction with the locals. 

Traveling India on trains is interacting with the punters and getting balls deep into it.

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## David48atTD

^  Any Pretties?

Usually I don't find the Indian Look attractive ... but an open mind I'd like to keep  :Smile:

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## terry57

After living in Thailand and being surrounded by world beating pussy 24-7 ya do not go to India to see quality pussy.

They are extremely thin on the ground but in the big cities like Mumbai one will see a few world beaters but in general No. 

Ya visit India to test ya self and see how long ya can last without spitting the dummy. 

On every trip I Have had one incident where I have absolutely lost the plot. 

It's a hard fookin grind mate.  :Smile:

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## terry57



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## terry57

This guy was waiting for the Train, hope he made it.

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## terry57

Some public health screening going on at the station. So many people they are up against it.

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