DHR introduces Kurseong-Mahanadi train service inspired by Rabindranath Tagore’s play Muktadhara

The Darjeeling Himalayan Railway (DHR) on Sunday introduced a short-distance service between Kurseong and Mahanadi named after Rabindranath Tagore’s play Muktadhara, paying tribute to the bard.

Railway officials said the service celebrated the Bard’s association with Paglajhora, a cascading mountain stream in the Kurseong area that is credited with inspiring Tagore’s work in 1922.

“The Nobel laureate Rabindranath Tagore wrote his famous play Muktadhara almost 100 years ago after he got inspiration from the cascading hilly spring Paglajhora, which is also an iconic scenic destination in the Darjeeling hills. We want to dedicate our newly introduced short-distance toy train ride from Kurseong to Mahanadi as our tribute to the bard and his work,” said Rishabh Choudhuray, the director of DHR.

Muktadhara was also translated into English by the bard as The Waterfall.

It revolves around an embankment built on the king’s orders to prevent the waters of Muktadhara, a stream originating in the mountainous region of Uttarkut, from reaching the plains of Shiu Tarai.

Crown prince Abhijit opposes the embankment and launches a mass movement. Believing he shares a spiritual bond with the waterfall, he ultimately sacrifices his life in an attempt to free its waters. The waterfall serves as an allegory for the people’s spirit.

Railway officials said two daily services — one hauled by a steam locomotive and the other by a diesel engine — would operate on the Kurseong–Mahanadi route from Sunday afternoon.

“A steam locomotive will haul two coaches from Kurseong station to Mahanadi by 12.15pm and return after the short journey. Another service with a diesel locomotive with similar coaches will leave Kurseong by 3.15pm and return through the same route,” the director of DHR said.

Each coach can accommodate 30 passengers.

Tagore’s association with the hills included several visits to Kalimpong and
Mungpoo.

He visited Kalimpong at least three times between 1938 and 1940. During his stay at Gouripur House in 1938, he recited his poem Janmadin on his birthday, which was broadcast live by All India Radio, Calcutta.

The Kalimpong district administration is currently renovating the building.

“The district administration of Kalimpong is carrying out renovation of the building by spending ₹2.8 crore, which is expected to be completed soon,” an official source said.