from cochin, i took a train north to mangalore, on my way towards the rocky headlands and secluded beaches in gokarna, just south of goa. 1.4 million employees makes indian railways the world’s largest employer; 17 million passengers travel each on more than 63,000 kilometers of track that stretches across the subcontinent.
in sleeper class, travellers cover impossible distances to make business, see family, or participate in religious pilgrimmages on train journeys that can take 2 days or more. time on a long train ride dissolves into meditative routine, punctuated by hawkers wandering through the train seeming to sell chai, snacks, and hot samosas in the same shared voice. from the stoop of the open door, india speeds by at 90 km/h, vehicles lined up at road crossings, temples, mosques, and churches, villages, factories, cities, slums, and farmer’s fields that stretch to the horizon underneath a gaping sky. 
in the pantry car, a line cook contributes to feeding more than 17 million passengers who travel on indian rail each day.
