The Woman Making History On India's Oldest Toy Train

Sarita Yolma is the first woman Train Ticket Examiner on the 145-year-old Darjeeling Hill Railway. 'It is a dream journey,' she says.

Sarita Yolma knew it was a big day for her as she wore her railway train ticket examiner's uniform.

On her way to New Jalpaiguri railway station from her home in Siliguri, West Bengal, a road distance of half an hour which takes an hour because of the traffic, she could feel the tension.

Her husband was beside her to provide support. Retired from the railways a year ago, he was dropping her to the New Jalpaiguri station as she was about to make her way into railway history.

At the station, the famous Darjeeling Toy Train was at the platform. Sarita Yolma was welcomed by the train staff. Her husband introduced them because the personnel had worked with him in the past on the same sector in the engineering department.

As Sarita entered the railway carriage at 10 am, she became the first woman ticket collector to be posted on the 145-year-old toy train.

She waved from the train door as the train pulled out slowly and then took out her tablet to check the passengers' tickets.

The Darjeeling Toy Train has UNESCO World Heritage status. The two-carriage train runs from New Jalpaiguri to Darjeeling and back, covering a distance of around 88 kms in about 6-and-a-half hours.

Started in 1881, the train connected the beautiful, small and quiet hill station and was an engineering marvel.

According the Darjeeling Hill Railway, Darjeeling town had about 30 buildings and a few respectable houses in 1840. Tea saplings were brought by the British from China and tea plantations began spreading from 1857.

To meet the expanding requirements, a new road for carts was planned in 1861. Subsequently, in 1879, the Darjeeling Himalayan Railway was constructed on the same hill cart road.

Some of the engines of the train are around 125 years old. It has both steam and diesel locomotives -- and has a dedicated group of engineers, drivers and personnel who work on its unique mechanism.

Though Darjeeling is now a sprawling town with enormous traffic issues, the toy train remains the biggest draw for tourists.

"I was nervous and excited. I was responsible for so many passengers on a historic route," says Sarita Yolma who joined the Indian Railways in the early 1990s.

'"Are you some celebrity?" they asked'

After working through various departments, she served as an announcer, manned the enquiry kiosk before being appointed as a ticket examiner in 2018.

"First I used to check tickets on the platform and then began duties inside the train compartments. Earlier, we carried a chart with passengers' names, but now we use a tab," she says.

The Darjeeling toy train mostly has tourists. "The NJP-Darjeeling route is always full. At first the passengers did not know that I was the first woman TTE ever on the train, but when they saw me being congratulated by railway staff at the various stations, they got curious."

"'Are you some celebrity?' they asked.

"When I told them, they took pictures with me and wanted to know of my experience."

The tourists then took travel tips from her about things to do and where to eat in Darjeeling. Since it is Sarita's hometown, she has a lot of useful information to share and tips to give.

The toy train duty is scheduled according to a roster. Sarita will not work solely on the toy train. She has done two trips on the Darjeeling route and has continued with the older train routes.

The day we spoke she was about to leave home for a train to Kishanganj in Bihar. She would get off the train and return on the night train.

"Of all the trains I have taken, nothing can beat the Darjeeling toy train. On other routes sometimes passengers argue if caught travelling without a ticket and don't want to pay the fine," says Sarita.

"But the Darjeeling route is a dream journey. It so scenic -- the greenery, hills, clouds and the weather. It is incomparable."

Photographs curated by Manisha Kotian/Rediff
Feature Presentation: Aslam Hunani/Rediff