Rail Romance

This book depicts the Indian Railways, part and parcel of the life of every Indian. The first part is a curious housefly's account of its journey on the Coromandel Express. Eager to see the world beyond its habitat, the fly sees many different places and people before the train is halted in the face of a super cyclone. What happens to the passengers? How do different people react in the face of disaster? Does anybody come to their aid? Can they resume their journey? The second part is a collection of fascinating threads interwoven into a beguiling narrative: - Why did the daughter of a Station Master vanish from the colony one fine morning - ?How a Station Master is tormented by a cobra's presence in his quarters. - Why a tea stall contractor invites the wrath of a Commercial Officer. - What happened to the coolie apprehended during a security drive? - Does the rodent elimination drive end in success or disaster? - Does the future son-in law of G.M Sahib get special treatment from the Railway staff? - How an old lady and a newly married girl display similar emotions when confronted by their spouses. - What happened to the family stuck in traffic congestion; do they make their train? The author, a retired Railway Officer, brings out the joys and woes, victories and failures of both railway main and rail users in a delightfully humorous style. The eventful journey on the Coromandel Express and the other stories about railway life, are bound to keep readers happily engaged to the very last page.

KRUPA SAGAR SAHOO is a leading name in Odia literature. Though he started his literary journey with poetry, he has written profusely in many genres, including short stories, novels, essays, travelogues, biography and children’s literature. With his twelve published collections of short stories and four novels, he has created a niche for himself in Odia fiction. Many of his works have been translated into English and other Indian languages. Nature and the Railways, where he worked for thirty-four years, and the plight of the common man, are the recurrent themes in his writing. The recipient of many awards, he was given the Odisha Sahitya Academy Award in 2009, for his novel Shesa Sarat, a touching story about the deterioration of the famous Chilika Lake in Odisha.