By Invitation : Niraj Kumar Poddar
My father was a PWI (Permanent Way Inspector), now known as a Junior Engineer in the Track Maintenance Department. He was transferred from Giridih, now in Jharkhand, to Garhara near Barauni in Begusarai district of Bihar in the 1980s. At that time, I was in 7th standard. I was admitted to the Railway School and continued there until 12th standard.
Garhara was unheard of and a completely new environment for us. It was an important hub connecting the rest of India with the north-eastern part of the country. At that time, the broad-gauge railway line was up to Barauni, while the meter-gauge line continued from Barauni to Tinsukia and other parts of Assam.
Garhara had several railway colonies- Eastern Railway Colony, Ganga Bridge Colony, New Colony and the North Eastern Railway Colony. Then, there was Garhara Gaon and the local markets. Garhara was particularly known for its railway yard.
The trans-shipment hub
Before the broad-gauge expansion across the Northeast, Garhara Yard was the largest trans-shipment yard in Asia as the Broad Gauge (BG) line terminated at Barauni/Garhara and the Meter Gauge (MG) towards Northeast took over. Hence all goods trains between mainland India and the Northeast had to break bulk there. This kept Garhara’s railway yard always busy.
The “Paltaiya” Culture
The local term paltaiya (from palatna, to flip or transfer) captures the daily hustle perfectly. Labourers and transshipment workers toiled 24/7 manually moving coal, grains, machinery, tea, and consumer goods from BG wagons to MG wagons and vice versa. It was a massive economic engine powering hundreds of families in the surrounding colonies.
Sound of trains
The sound of goods and passenger trains became a part and parcel of our daily life. We became so familiar with their different sounds that we could often identify the train passing through, and tell whether it was on time or not. The railway at Garhara was an inseparable part of our growing-up years.
Colony Life
Colony life, at Garhara was memorable and happening.
The Layout: The division between Eastern Railway (ER) and North Eastern Railway (NER) quarters, alongside the Ganga Bridge Colony, created distinct micro-neighbourhoods, each with its own community halls, playgrounds, and markets.
The atmosphere: We were used to the constant background score of steam (and later diesel) locomotives shunting, the metallic clatter of wagons coupling, the hum of floodlights at night, and the whistle of the yard marshals.
The Railway Hospital at Garhara was a dedicated lifeline for all railway employees and their families, providing essential healthcare and a reassuring sense of security to the entire colony.Railway Schools: Railway schools were melting pots—bringing together kids whose parents were from across different states, creating a rich, diverse childhood experience.
People from different railway departments lived together as neighbours. Engineering staff, RPF Inspectors, Bridge Inspectors, Carriage-in-charge, Engineers, Doctors, Yard Masters, Area Manager, Guards, TTEs, Loco Pilots, Blacksmith, Plumbers, Carpenters, Gangmen and many others.
Amongst us, nobody really cared about which department or what position their father held. There was no discrimination. We were simply children growing up together. All of us played cricket, football, badminton, Kabaddi, Budhiya Kabaddi, Gilli Danda and Lal Denga. Everyone was welcome and became part of the team based on ability, enthusiasm and merit—nothing else mattered.
Garhara also hosted an All India Badminton Tournament held in the 1980s in which top players participated. There were tournaments for almost every sport among the different inter-colony teams. Garhara’s teams also competed with teams from Barauni Thermal, Refinery, Fertiliser Colony, Teghra, Barauni and other nearby places.
Daily Routine
The daily routine for almost every child across the different colonies was Railway School in the morning and playground in the evening. Adults who were railway employees went to work. However, guards, TTEs, Loco Pilots and the people working in the Yard had no fixed schedule, as their duties depended on train movements and operational requirements.
One Big Family
The entire colony was one big extended family. We grew up surrounded by people who knew us, watched us grow, encouraged us, corrected us and celebrated with us. Festivals were celebrated with great joy.
Colonies competed with each other for idol-making and decorations during Durga Puja, Diwali, Saraswati Puja trying hard to better the other.Police Colony’s Janmashtami Mela was a special attraction for us.
In hindsight, Garhara was a place where we went to school, played together, celebrated festivals, listened to trains day and night, made friends and slowly grew up. Those years taught us the importance of community, relationships and sharing.
Garhara Today
With the complete conversion from metre gauge to broad gauge across the Northeast, the necessity of trans-shipment vanished, taking away Garhara’s raison d’ etre with it. The huge railway yard is gone, the loco sheds dismantled, the NE Railway School has closed its doors, and most of the old yard offices have gone quiet. What was once Asia’s busiest trans-shipment hub has faded into history, but for those of us who lived there during its glory days, Garhara will always be unforgettable.
I still miss the sound of railway, the school, the playgrounds, the colonies, the festivals, the competitions and, most importantly, the people. Fortunately, I am still connected with many of my old mates from Garhara.
Years may have passed, but the memories and the warmth remain as Garhara for us was more than just another sleepy railway town. We still carry this little world of Garhara that we grew up in, within us.
