The Purveyors of Destiny
A Cultural Biography of the Indian Railways
Arup K Chatterjee
Bloomsbury
321 pages; Rs 599
There are several books on Indian Railways (meaning mostly the history), but there is nothing quite like this. Described as a cultural biography, it is one of a kind. What’s a cultural biography? Here is an explanation from the author’s prologue: “In each of the stories and histories that follow, the Indian Railways are a character. As such, they deserve a biography, of which none exists so far… It was my desire to recreate the railways as a talking
A Cultural Biography of the Indian Railways
Arup K Chatterjee
Bloomsbury
321 pages; Rs 599
There are several books on Indian Railways (meaning mostly the history), but there is nothing quite like this. Described as a cultural biography, it is one of a kind. What’s a cultural biography? Here is an explanation from the author’s prologue: “In each of the stories and histories that follow, the Indian Railways are a character. As such, they deserve a biography, of which none exists so far… It was my desire to recreate the railways as a talking
