Southern Railway has devised a new strategy to promote the 54.720-km-long Palakkadu-Pollachi route which was opened recently for traffic. A sprightly shot 20-minute TV documentary “Chugging Through Centuries” has become a hit with rail buffs.
“It is a visual splendour incorporating the beautiful Western Ghats and some of the historical monuments one encounter in the journey”, said MK Gopinath, the young public relations officer of Railways, the master behind the project.
The documentary brings to life the good old days of steam engines, narrow gauge and life in a sedate pace. It has also delved into the history behind the construction of the Palakkadu-Pollachi narrow gauge line dating back to 1928. The commentator explains how land acquisition began in October 1928 and the track was completed in 1932 with newspaper clippings and maps collected from the Railway Museum at Tiruchirappalli.
What stands out in the documentary is the ancestral home of late Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu MG Ramachandran at Vadakannikapuram along the Palakkadu-Pollachi stretch. The maternal home of MGR, as he was popularly called, is still in existence and houses an Anganwadi. Tamils who undertake pilgrimage to the lord Muruga Temple at Palani make it a point to pay their obeisance to the late leader by visiting SathyaVilasam, the house he built for his mother.
The Nelliampathy Hills, the Aliyar River and the thick green paddy fields of Palakkadu has been portrayed in the documentary with élan. All railway stations along the route has been incorporated and the transformation of the landscapes from Kerala to Tamil Nadu has been caught in style.
The expectations of the people in Pollachi, a highly agrarian society too has been picturised nicely. The railway line which was closed in 2009 for gauge conversion had hit the livelihood of farmers and merchants of Pollachi. With the opening of the broad gauge railway line, they are waiting in anticipation for customers from Palakkaduto land in great numbers so that Pollachi would regain its lost importance.
The route assumes significance because it plays the pivotal role in connecting the East and west coasts of the country. It also connects pilgrim centres in South India with those in North, East, west and South.