Indian Hill Railways [DVD]

This mini-series about the Indian Hill Railways is without any doubt (in my mind) the best documentary to come from the BBC in a long time. It is, frankly, wonderful. The attention to detail of both the railway itself and the lives of those who work in association is quite spellbinding. This institution is a legacy of the Raj and British imperialism. Yet the programme betrays not an atom of political slant. The British accomplished much. Yet the Indians have also excelled. We are given a surprisingly intimate involvement in both peoples' lives and corporate function. The photography is glorious, from the steamy, noisy workshops to the enchanting vistas of Indian highlands. Just enough detail of every issue from clearing landslides to engagement for marriage draws the viewer in and excites our sympathy. And all the while a great variety of ideally-chosen passages of Indian music emphasise the moods of the times. Editing is moment perfect, voice-over is sympathetic but unpatronising.

Thoroughly recommended and deserving of 6 stars.

This delightful three-hour DVD introduces us to the quirky, characterful, time-bubble of the railways which run from the Himalayas in the north of India to the Nilgris in the south. These train lines were built a hundred years ago to connect remote mountain regions to the rest of the country, and so for four generations the railway has influenced the working and personal lives of the people of the area. These films perfectly capture the romance of the railway and its practical purpose as Indian evolves into a modern country.

Each programme is an hour long and follows one particular line, introducing us to the people who work on the railway, showing the towns and regions it connects. Along the way it reveals the conflicts caused by scraping a living in a difficult environment - some railways staff have fulfilled a lifetime ambition in gaining permanent employment but the hill railway may be far from their home and family, and they serve for two or three years with little contact, living in `railway towns' which are one of the many remnants of the era of the raj.
The Darjeeling Himalayan Railway is interwoven with the lives of the people around it, but that relationship is always changing. The film shows the new generation of Gurkhas who populate the hills and demand an independent state and a new identity in modern India. The Nilgiri Mountain Railway is a more romantic line, popular with honeymooners and driven by love and devotion as well as steam. We meet the guard and ticket inspector, and learn how to conduct a long-distance, lifetime love affair. This film also introduces the railway's first woman engineer who normally works on diesel locomotives, but is involved in prepping a steam engine for a special centenary celebration. Then we go to Shimla, which was once the summer capital of the Raj. The members and servants of empire built churches, schools, a town hall and the railway and left behind their symbols and an ethos of duty, loyalty and ambition. One of the characters in this episode is a teacher from England, returning to the hills of India to educate young boys and give something back to a country he loves.
One woman porter works 12 hour days carrying luggage for tourists, her back bent double under the loads. Yet the railway has enabled her to send her son to college and so improve his life. This series is full of such stories. It is inspiring and poignant on a human level, never mind the sheer romance and beauty of the natural world through which the trains steam, or the rattling glamour of their mechanical longevity.
This series includes moments of joy, like when a steam train returns to a distant station for the first time decades, or when the snow finally comes to Shimla and covers the station with a sparkling veil of delicate beauty. You have to admire the dedication of the railway engineers, too, often using the brute strength of the workgangs to lever huge boulders away from the track. Occasionally they use dynamite, too!

You won't find much of the other side of Indian life in this series; political violence, extreme poverty, homeless children, etc, are downplayed. The tone of the programmes is a celebration of the hill railways and their people, so each hour is carefully edited to end on a high, optimistic note. It all makes for entertaining, educational and enlightening viewing.

9/10

I watched these films when they were on BBC2 earlier this year. They are as much for train enthusiasts as they are for people who enjoy human interest documentaries. I found the fascinating stories of the people whose lives are intrinsically linked to the trains incredibly moving. An extremely interesting and humbling watch.