From dining cars and pantries to packaged meals: The long journey of railway food in India

Appa is a railway man. That’s what he still calls himself, some 15 years after retirement. I guess that makes me a railway kid, which is an age-agnostic moniker.

Since we moved with his postings and travelled a lot across India, much of my childhood was spent in trains, at train stations, on platforms, in waiting rooms, Railway colonies, Railway houses, with Railway families. Every break – summer, winter, a long weekend – we were off somewhere. Over a conservative estimate of 400 train journeys as a family, we’ve been to almost every state in the country, falling just two short – Tripura and Mizoram. If we were to count individual and work trips, the count would amount to over a thousand.

But now, I rarely take the train. Mostly on trips to and from Chennai for family gatherings, and Appa is the one who books my tickets, as he does for all members of our extended family. In the days leading up to the journey, his reminders come alongside those from IRCTC (Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation). He tells me exactly when my train is, when to leave the house for the station, which platform the train will depart from, which coach...

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