The track

Back in the old days, it used to be a meter gauge track, with steam engines pulling the carriages with a huff and a puff.

And then, it lay disused for many years, until it was converted to a broad gauge.

Today, it is diesel engines that pull carriages on these tracks. However, there is still a charm about Kabaka Puttur railway station that evokes fond memories of childhood, and evening walks to try and see off the train as it made its slow journey from Puttur to Mangalore.

Some evenings, a walk would be for miles and hours, along the track, constantly looking over our shoulders and seeing far into the distance to make sure there is no train chugging towards us. Of course, there wasn’t. But just the act of peering behind or ahead was enough to give us cheap thrills.

On days when we were feeling a little brave, we would place our ears on the track, to try and feel the rumble when we knew a train was only a few miles away. Am not sure whether it was the act of placing our ears on the track or the passing of the train that gave us a bigger kick.

And, sometimes, when a train did pass us by on our evening walks along the track, we would take out a ten paise aluminum coin from our pockets, gingerly place it on the track and wait for the train to roll over it. That squashed coin would then go into our coin collection, worthless, but still a prized piece in the collection.

Sigh!