Shafaqna India:I had just got a new job in a new city. I was trying to find my moorings in a new set-up. “You can buy all your utensils from the Railway Road,” suggested one of my colleagues.
The narrow road, which is more like a street, is testament to the acronym: Jagadhri the city of utensils/the brass town. From hereditary ancient shops to modern outlets, godowns to factories to manufacturing units, retail/wholesale/export, usual kitchen ware to huge cauldrons: all kinds of establishments can be found across the Railway Road. But what intrigued me was that why was it called Railway Road? Where was the railway?
There were more intrigues in store. Yamunanagar and Jagadhri are twin cities with literally no demarcation. All inhabitation is across two major roads. A narrow parallel lane runs from Jagadhri to Yamunanagar and it is called ‘choti line.’ A road called line? Again?
Interestingly there are two interstate bus stands, Jagadhri and Yamunanagar, but the railway station – only one! Jagadhri. That too at the Yamunanagar end. Strange isn’t it?
Incidentally, Jagadhri Workshop is the first major post-independence Carriage and Wagon Workshop established by Indian Railways in 1952 and has numerous certification and awards to its name.
Octogenarians of the town explained that Raja Jyoti Prasad through his venture Jagadhri Light Railway Company built a narrow gauge steam tramway from station to bazaar for passengers and goods in 1911. A progressive initiative to facilitate citizens and boost business in the colonial era. Although it was discontinued in 1950, the old relics and names stand the test of time.
It reminded me of famous lines by American author Albert Bigelow Paine, “What we do for ourselves dies with us. What we do for others and the world remains and is immortal.”
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