A Train Journey to Remember

Review by Ronica Wahi

Kisson ki Rail

By Abhidha Sharma

First published: July 15, 2021, Ekatra – a joint imprint of Manjul and Pratilipi.

(Stories within narrative published one by one earlier, Pratilipi app)

Pages: 128.

ISBN: 9789390924646

On a solitary journey or on a lazy weekend or at some such point of time, a book that is thought-provoking and nostalgia-inducing but light and fun too is a boon. Abhidha Sharma’s Kisson ki Rail (loose translation: "The Rail of Anecdotes") is one such book.

Kisson ki Rail is the recounting of a train journey undertaken with friends. On the way, the writer and her friends, and the other passengers with them in the Non-AC sleeper narrate stories of various kinds and shades; while some stories make one think deeply, others evoke smiles or laughter. If narratives of exploitation, injustice, grief, and regret find place here, so do narratives of courage, determination, love, and hope. With the sheer variety in the kisse (anecdotes) strung together, the book becomes quite rich and multi-hued.

Between stories, there is the usual train fun. Sharma almost brings alive the sounds, the tastes, and the smells associated with travelling in Indian trains – the bustle of platforms, the customary buying of the speciality of the place on the platform of which the train stops, the sharing of food with others, the flow of conversation, the ringing laughter. Overall, as already mentioned, the slim book captures well the thin slice of life that is a train journey and like that particular slice, this book is deliciously rich in flavours.

And it is in these flavours that Sharma found the remedy for the writer’s block that had gripped her after the considerable success that she achieved thanks to her first two creations. With the help of her friends and also strangers she met on the train, she overcame this hurdle and succeeded with flying colours.

The book moves fast, providing many moments of delight as it progresses towards its end – just like how the train Amarkantak Express moves towards Shahdol, the writer’s destination. As is apt for the kind of content, the book uses everyday language. Even when the stories show some new facet of life or teach some new lesson, the sense is of an everyday experience. The narrative style remains realistic and very lively throughout.

Apart from evoking memories of train journeys – to which the simple and beautiful cover also contributes, Kisson ki Rail reminds of school life and school friends, of the need for friends and human company, of the worth of taking breaks to enjoy human company, and of the pricelessness of creating memories with others.

A book definitely worth reading!

 

Amazon India link for Kisson ki Rail (Paperback): https://amzn.to/3Fewhv4

To know more about the writing of this book and Abhidha Sharma’s writing journey, do watch her interview here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UfG9fxhw2WU

DISCLAIMER: Ronica Wahi is a participant in the Amazon Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon. If you make a purchase through any of the Amazon links provided by Ronica here, she may receive a small commission, without any extra cost to you.