Overcrowded trains serve as metaphor for India in Western eyes – but they are a relic of colonialism and capitalism
- Written by Ritika Prasad, Associate Professor of History, University of North Carolina – Charlotte
By the end of the 19th century, railways were being used by millions across India.Keystone-France/Gamma-Rapho via Getty ImagesA devastating rail crash that left almost 300 people dead has refocused international attention on the importance of railways in the lives of Indians.
Indeed, to many Western observers, images of men and women crammed into...