Our Days in the Sun - Pre-independence life in Railway Colonies

Memories of growing up in railway colonies in various small towns, during the 1940s to the early 1970s, are evocative of a well-ordered life.

The colonial style bungalows for the officials were set in acres of land with trees, lawns edged with flower-beds, lily pools and vegetable gardens at the back, which were safe from the intrusion of the outside world.

The railway colonies were built around the focal point of the railway station and the railway workshop, which was referred to as the “works”.

In a hierarchal fashion common to the British, there were the Senior Institutes and the Officers’ Clubs, well separated from the Junior Institutes for the blue collared staff.

Above: The Railway Institute at the Railway Colony, at Liluah, near Howrah station.

Friday evenings would usually be movie nights and parties that were well-attended.

The latest songs from the English hit parades, the latest dances and the latest sartorial styles were the talk of the evenings.

There were churches of different denominations and local schools that were run by Anglo-Indians or Eurasian ladies.

The ladies of the churches were the backbone of most English style schools all over India. They were highly regarded for their English language skills as well as their commitment to discipline.

The railway hospital or dispensaries offered prompt service for all railwaymen and their families. Here too, the Anglo-Indian nursing staff was very valuable. The “Matron” was a figure of awe and reverence, deferential only to ‘The Doctor’.

The employees of the railways often carried interesting designations, relating to their supposed duties. A trolley man operated on the inspection of trolleys. The more generic peons handled messages and paperwork and seldom did much. The Khansamas were lords of the kitchen, who did the cooking while presiding over a host of menial jobs. The ancillary staff of the dhobi or washer man, the malis or gardeners, the watchman: all rounded off the community that cared for the official’s home.