I last travelled by train when I was in college in Bombay. Mum used to say a prayer each time I entered trains because they are so dangerous. I detest everything about our trains. There is no security for women. The coaches are filthy, the trains are in terrible condition. The safety measures are very bad. The nicest journey is the Palace on Wheels—it costs a lot but that’s value for money. My favourite train experience was shooting the ‘Chhaiya Chhaiya’ song. While the song became very popular, it still didn’t improve the railways in any way.
(As told to Lata Khubchandani and Amit Dixit)