Railways in Modern India

This volume highlights the centrality of the railways in the history of colonial and post-colonial India. Together the contributions represent some of the most thought-provoking writings on Indian railways spanning much of India’s railway past. The substantive introduction situates the readings in their historical and historiographical contexts, identifies and explores some neglected topics and outlines an encompassing approach to the history of railways in South Asia.Between them the selections examine everything, from the consequences of the railways for India’s economic development to the impact of railways on pilgrims and the institutions of pilgrimage. Part of the prestigious themes in Indian History series, this reader will benefit students and scholars working on the origin and growth of Indian railways, nineteenth century India, imperial history, technology transfer as well as historians working on labor processes in colonial India.The volume explores the multi-faceted ways in which railways contributed to the making of Modern India. The contributions address a range of issues that have generated controversy across the century and span much of India’s railway past.