"Who told you to join Railways?": A Journey on the Indian Railways

by Ajay Shukla

These are not exactly my memoirs. These are what I would have liked my memoirs to be like. Alternating between reality and fantasy it narrates my life in the service of Indian Railways from 1978 to 2015.
During this long span of time I saw my country, and myself, change. From a young aspiring lad to a much mellowed and sober person I also saw the change in the values of the society which I had trouble coping with all the time. And so it is also a brief History of my country.
I do not know what provoked me to write these memoirs, maybe the same thoughtlessness that led me to join the railway service. Or maybe, I had to do something in life, to pass the time that is called life. And so it is also my view on the philosophy of life. Of its vicissitudes and of the play of destiny.
During this period I saw rise of corruption, the foolishness of bureaucracy, the manipulations of politics and also some unseen hand distributing out justice.
I tried to see something funny in everything that I went through, as if my life had been a one long satire, because I came to hold that life may not have any meaning but it need not be boring. And so I hope are these memoirs.

288 pages, Kindle Edition

First published March 4, 2017

Reviews

[Raviteja Andhavarapu · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is quite a surprise! The writing style laced with lots of humor kept me entertained. Loved to hear how bureaucracy works in India (in first person) and that over a period of around 40 years. There's so much redtape even internally in bureaucracy that it is satiating to see the same bureaucrats be on the receiving end of the redtape. Especially loved how the author had described various railway ministers working styles. We have hundreds of books on pre-independence era but not many notable ones from then on. I wonder if he ran into trouble after releasing the book as he made fun of so many of his bosses including his wife :) .

I'd have preferred if the autobio parts weren't included as they tended to be boring and the author came across as a talk-behind-the-back guy while reciting a few episodes and it is not something i want to see in a book.

[Aman Raj · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful story of witty braveheart !

A true account of a no-nonsense Railway Officer, the book is beautifully composed with mishappenings in his Railway service and his wise but witty responses. The author has bared bureaucracy by calling a spade a spade. A must read for the straight freshers in bureaucracy.

[Parikshit · Rating 4 out of 5]

A delightful and hilarious read about the monster that is the Indian Railways . The author clearly has a sense oh humor and takes us down memory lane with some hilarious anecdotes during his time in the Railways. As a rail fan, I thoroughly enjoyed the book !

[Raghavendra Kumar · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it.An excellent work.Frank and sincere.The travails and troubles of a government official explained in a hilarious manner.Sad to know that the ghosts of colonial India still guide our railway authorities.
Well-done Ajay.