The men who made it possible

The clang of metal shafts and the screech of huge screws don't disturb Keshav Chatri much.

The clang of metal shafts and the screech of huge screws don8217;t disturb Keshav Chatri much 8212; not even in his sleep. He has lived the last three years of his life amidst these sounds and now, with the Kashmir train chugging along the tracks he helped lay, Chatri knows he will miss the sounds.

Work done, the 22-year-old labourer will now return home to Assam. 8220;I have not been home for three years. I have been working hard. But when I got on the train, I felt proud,8221; says Chatri. 8220;Apart from the money I earned here, I will take home my memories working on this first train in Srinagar.8221;

Even while Chatri and the others worked hard, the train was beyond anybody8217;s imagination. Mohammad Altaf Teli, a 29-year-old driver from Srinagar, has been working with the Northern Railways for the last nine years. 8220;Life has been tough 8212; I only earn Rs 4,500 a month 8212; but the journey of the last nine years has been amazing. It was risky at times but now it feels like an adventure,8221; says Altaf, wiping dust off his vehicle. 8220;At first I thought the train was just a lie. It was beyond my imagination. But when I got on the train for the first time, I was dumb struck.8221;

Nissar Ahmad, a junior engineer with the Northern Railways, has been associated with the project since its inception in 1998. He now wants the train to reach every corner of Kashmir. 8220;I pray that the train should only stop to pick up passengers. Never otherwise,8221; says Nisar. 8220;I have worked on the project not only as an engineer but as a labourer too. I am ready to go and work anywhere in Kashmir.8221;

For Mohammad Rafiq Sheikh, a Kashmiri contractor, the train has been lucky 8212; he says he has got major projects across India. 8220;When I see people thronging the ticket counters and stations, I realise this is Kashmir8217;s latest wonder. People come out to see the train everywhere. It is amazing,8221; he says.

But the journey isn8217;t over yet, says Sheikh. 8220;Unless the train connects Kashmir with the network across India, our dreams won8217;t be accomplished.8221;