Naming trains after individuals? It happens in Britain or Pakistan

I recently had a conversation with a friend. He wanted to know if trains could be named after people. I hadn’t thought about this. I could think of locomotives named after individuals, but trains? He thought there was a policy decision prohibiting it. I came up with the Amritsar-Katihar Amrapali Express. Amrapali is the courtesan from Vaishali who became Buddha’s follower. He objected. This wasn’t good enough. Amrapali isn’t a “real” person.  At least, there is no clear evidence she was real. Therefore, I abandoned Matsyagandha Express or Maveli (Mahabali) Express. I tried Basava Express, from Mysore to Bagalkot (earlier from Yesvantpur to Bijapur).  There is no question that the 12th century philosopher and poet, Basavanna, is a real person. But my friend continued to hem and haw. Too far back in the past.  That’s not quite what he had meant. So much for Kamban Express or Rani Chennamma Express. I now tried Gurudev Express, from Nagercoil to Shalimar. He refused to accept this.  “Gurudev” could mean anyone. Who said this was named after Rabindranath Tagore?

Given that reaction, I didn’t mention the Amritsar-Darbhanga Jan Nayak Express. While it was obvious this was named after Jayaprakash Narayan, the proof wasn’t firm enough. The Railway Budget speech in February 2002 (Nitish Kumar) gave no explanation for the renaming. “5211/5212 Amritsar-Darbhanga Jansewa Express via Narkatiaganj from two days a week to daily. This train will now be known as Jan Nayak Express.” Nor could I try Jnaneswari Express. Did it mean the text or the composer? This was turning out to be much more difficult than I thought it would be. Finally, it hit me.  Vivekananda Express, Dibrugarh to Kanyakumari, the longest (both time and distance) travelled by any train. The Railway Budget speech in February 2011 (Mamata Banerjee) said, “In addition, running of Vivekananda Express will be extended for two years up to his 150th birth anniversary in 2013.” But this was a special train, not a regular one.  The same speech added, “To mark the 150th birth anniversary of Swami Vivekananda, which will be celebrated in 2013, I propose to introduce new trains called “Vivek Express”.” Ergo, these sets of trains (there are four pairs) are known as Vivek Express, not Vivekananda Express. Not enough as clinching proof to contest my friend’s proposition. Finally, I came up with Bagha Jatin Fast Passenger (Howrah to Bhadrak) and Abida Begum Express (Delhi to Raxaul).

Illustration by Binay Sinha

Before you point out I have erred, let me mention Mahamana Express (flagged off in 2016 and named after Madan Mohan Malaviya) and Kaifiyat Express. Deen Dayalu coaches are also from 2016. Out of some 7,500 long-distance trains, this is a remarkably short list. It is all the more surprising because many stations are named after individuals. Unlike naming of stations, naming of trains is entirely internal to Ministry of Railways. Hence, my friend probably had a point and I managed to dig up a 1976 decision. “While introducing new trains, Railway should not give any specific names without the approval of the Board to avoid raising unnecessary controversies.” In addition, “In future, no particular name should be given to a train without the specific approval of the Ministry and that a train should be known by the pair of stations it serves.” This was endorsed in 1987. “Requests from public are often received for naming passenger carrying trains after important personalities, various deities, places of worship, etc. Hitherto, trains have been named after deities, states, regions, rivers, mountain ranges, dynasties, special characteristic of the train etc. Ministry of Railways have scrupulously avoided naming trains after personalities, deities etc or giving any name with religious connotations which may lead to counter claims and controversies….As naming of trains is a delicate matter and is likely to stir sentiments of the people, Zonal Railways must ensure that the foregoing instructions are rigidly followed, giving no scope of complaint whatsoever.”

Therefore, the default position is clear and my friend was right — no naming of trains after individuals. But as the few isolated instances also show, it is not an inflexible position. To quote again from the 1987 circular, “At the time of introduction of new trains Railways (meaning Zonal Railways) may, however, come up with their suggestions for suitable names keeping in view the above instructions.” But there is no denying there is reticence, so as to avoid controversies. I checked out some other countries at random, Pakistan and Britain included. True, not every passenger train is named, as opposed to just being a number. True, even when there is a name, the name need not necessarily refer to a specific individual. Trains named after specific individuals may be rare, but there doesn’t seem to be that degree of reticence. In Britain, there is a train named after Robin Hood, another (Admiraal de Ruijter) after a Dutch admiral who actually attacked Britain. And of course Benjamin Britten, Elizabethan and William Shakespeare. Pakistan has Akbar Express (named after Nawab Akbar Khan Bugti), Allama Iqbal Express (after Muhammad Iqbal), Bahauddin Zakaria Express (after Bahauddin Zakariya), Faiz Ahmed Faiz Express, Fareed Express (after Baba Fareed Shakar), Jaffar Express (after Mir Jaffar Khan Jamali) and so on. The desire to stay away from controversies is not a colonial legacy, nor a general South Asian mindset. More than controversies, the intention is probably not to make trains distinctive through names, after individuals or otherwise. Reduce all of them to numbers.

The author is chairman, Economic Advisory Council to the Prime Minister. Views are personal