HALT STATION INDIA CHRONICLES THE DRAMATIC RISE OF INDIA'S ORIGINAL RAIL NETWORK, THE ARRIVAL OF THE FIRST TRAIN, AND THE SUBSEQUENT EMERGENCE OF A PIONEERING ELECTRIC LINE-ALL IN THE PORT CITY OF BOMBAY. TRAINS THAT ONCE PROVOKED AWE AND FEAR-THEY WERE VIEWED AS FIRE CHARIOTS, SMOKE-SPEWING DEMONS-HAVE TODAY BECOME A NATION'S LIFEBLOOD. TAKING A WALK ALONG INDIA'S FIRST RAIL LINES, THE AUTHOR STUMBLES UPON FRAGMENTS OF THE PAST-A CLOCK AT VICTORIA TERMINUS THAT OFFERS A RARE VIEW OF A CITY; A CANNON NEAR MASJID BUNDER STATION THAT IS WORSHIPPED AS A GOD; A WATCHTOWER OVERLOOKING SION STATION, BELIEVED TO HAVE HOUSED A WITCH. EACH PIT-STOP COMES WITH STORIES OF DESIRE AND WAR, AMBITION AND DEATH-BY DOCKYARD ROAD STATION, FOR INSTANCE, AUTHOR LAURENCE STERNE'S BELOVED, ELIZA DRAPER, FOLLOWED A SAILOR INTO THE SEA; OR CLOSE TO PAREL STATION, THE WIFE OF INDIA'S GOVERNOR GENERAL, LORD CANNING FOUND A GARDEN RICH IN TROPICAL VEGETATION; THIS, SHE REPLICATED AT BARRACKPORE. DRAWING FROM JOURNALS, BIOGRAPHIES, NEWSPAPERS AND RAILWAY ARCHIVES-AND WITH NOSTALGIC, FIRST-TIME ACCOUNTS OF THOSE WHO TRAVELLED BY INDIA'S EARLIEST TRAINS-THE BOOK CAPTURES THE ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL REVOLUTIONS SPURRED BY THE COUNTRY'S FIRST TRAIN LINE. IN THIS, HALT STATION INDIA IS NOT JUST ABOUT THE RAILWAYS-IT IS THE STORY OF THE GROWTH OF INDIA'S BUSINESS CAPITAL AND A RARE STUDY OF A NATION. भारतात १८५३मध्ये पहिली रेल्वे धावली. या शोधाने भारतीय जनजीवनाचा चेहरामोहरा बदलला. या पहिल्या आगीनगाडीच्या आगमनाची कहाणी अनेकानेक रोचक गोष्टींनी भरलेली आहे. . रेल्वेच्या विस्तारित जाळ्याबरोबरच अनुषं&