Revisiting The Socio-Cultural Aspects of Railway in Colonial India

ABSTRACTIndian culture is one of the most ancient cultures in the world. It is believed that Indian cultureis as ancient as the cultures of Greece, Rome, Egypt, Sumer and China. It has a uniquecharacteristic which includes diversity and rich cultural heritage. Along with this, Indianculture has also been adapting itself with changing times. Means of transportation have playedan important role in the changing dimensions of Indian culture. According to the cycle of time,the revolution in the means of transportation has greatly influenced Indian civilization andculture. These means have not only facilitated economic development, but have also played animportant role in shaping the rich cultural heritage of the country. Railway is one of thesemeans of transport. The roads that were built to connect the villages and cities of India till themedieval era were not like the roads of today. They can only be considered as footpaths, due towhich it took a lot of time to go from one place to another. The development and establishmentof railways in India took place only during the colonial rule. With the help of this researchpaper, I have tried to know what impact the development of railways in India had on Indianculture and how railways played an important role in connecting Indian culture from east towest, north to south, one corner of India to another. For which primary and secondary sourceshave been used.