The Indian Railways is the mother of all infrastructure and, as we saw demonstrated so tragically last month, has become the sacrificial lamb at the altar of coalition politics. This is in spite of the fact that films from Devdas to Pather Panchali have captured the romance of rail travel and established its iconic status in the national consciousness; and that it carries more people and goods each year than any other railway system in the world, except for China&rsquo;s.

Rajesh V Shah: Re-laying the railways

Business Standard

Life is like a game of snakes and ladders. The economically disadvantaged sections of the population hover on the lower rows of a game board infested with snakes and hardly find ladders to take them to the upper rows. Meanwhile, the affluent monopolise the ladders. Even if these affluent, or relatively affluent, are swallowed by a snake or two, they soon find the ladders to take them back to the top.

Rajesh V Shah

Rajesh V Shah

Rajesh V Shah

Rajesh V Shah: Re-laying the railways

Rajesh V Shah: The snakes and ladders of life