His city remembers

Any visitor to the Museum of Miniature Railways in Kothrud knows the sense of wonder and amazement as an entire city comes alive in a 26 ...

Any visitor to the Museum of Miniature Railways in Kothrud knows the sense of wonder and amazement as an entire city comes alive in a 26 by 26 sq.ft. room. Captured in exquisite detail, the railway station, the ghat section, the stone quarry, circus and city roads are proof of a technocrat’s extraordinary skill. That of B.S. Joshi, who passed away on October 11 last year.

Six months later, it is with a sigh of relief that one visits his brainchild. It is well-cared-for by his son, Ravi. "It was my father’s passion, I have to keep it alive in his memory,” says Ravi, as he operates the half-hour show at the museum every weekend.

Opening the curtains on his father’s 40-year-long obsession, he points to the various glimpses of cityscape replicated on a revolving table, 19 ft. in diameter. Right from a swimming pool with people in it to a cafe with customers, Joshi’s fingers have created every imaginable item.

The railway enjoys a special place, thanks to the creator’s deep-rooted fascination for railway modelling. A fully functional station yard with six platforms, three main lines, 65 signals, steam trains, diesel engines, a high-speed inter-city express, underground train, local shuttle, name it and it’s there. And each functions just like its real-life counterpart.

“Through this model, he wished to propagate railway modelling as a hobby amongst budding scientists and engineers.” For that matter, he even considered manufacturing railway models, but realised there was no market. That was when the idea of a display came up. For some years, he exhibited it at various venues, till the tiresome process of acquiring permissions made him set up a permanent display. And the museum came into being.

Thereafter, he gave more touches – signals, fences, lamp-posts, flyovers – all crafted by hand, using chemical etching techniques. The control panel was designed to operate the outfit manually or by computer.

One flick of a switch opens up a whole new world, the flurry of movement duplicating life in the fast lanes. At the end of the half-hour show, quiet descends. Soft illumination welcomes the evening.

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… the magician’s gone, but he has left his spells behind, to weave magic for many to enjoy.