Objective:

To summarise the novel “Third Class in Indian Railways” by Mahatma Gandhi

Context:
In the essay Third Class in Indian Railways by Mahatma Gandhi we have the theme of class,
acceptance, desperation, dependency, greed and hygiene. Taken from his Selected Works
collection the reader realises from the beginning of the essay that Gandhi may be exploring
the theme of class. Gandhi chooses to travel by third class in order that he might see how
other people, who are less privileged than him, might live. In the essay Third Class in Indian
Railways by Mahatma Gandhi we have the theme of class, acceptance, desperation,
dependency, greed and hygiene.

About the Author

Mahatma Gandhi:

Mahatma Gandhi, byname of Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi, (born October 2, 1869,

Porbandar, India—died January 30, 1948, Delhi), Indian lawyer, politician, social activist,
and writer who became the leader of the nationalist movement against the British rule of
India. As such, he came to be considered the father of his country. Gandhi is internationally
esteemed for his doctrine of nonviolent protest (satyagraha) to achieve political and social
progress.

In the eyes of millions of his fellow Indians, Gandhi was the Mahatma (“Great Soul”). The
unthinking adoration of the huge crowds that gathered to see him all along the route of his
tours made them a severe ordeal; he could hardly work during the day or rest at night. “The
woes of the Mahatmas,” he wrote, “are known only to the Mahatmas.” His fame spread
worldwide during his lifetime and only increased after his death. The name Mahatma Gandhi
is now one of the most universally recognized on earth.
Summary
After his return from South Africa in July 1914, Mahatma Gandhi travelled the length and breadth of
India.
The mode was the third class on Indian Railways. The aim was to have a one-to-one connect with the
masses.
His experiences were penned in the book “Third Class in Indian Railways” written in Ranchi on
September 25, 1917. Travelling from Lahore to Tranquebar and from Karachi to Calcutta in over two
years, Gandhiji critically observed third class travel.
Despite Gandhiji’s pointing out defects to rail companies, he felt, only a crusade by the public/press
could redress certain grievances.

Overcrowded carriages
“On the 12th instant, I booked at Bombay for Madras by the mail train and paid Rs. 13.9. It was
labelled to carry 22 passengers. These could only have seating accommodation.”
“There were two nights to be passed in this train before reaching Madras. If not more than 22
passengers found their way into my carriage before we reached Poona, it was because the bolder ones
kept the others at bay.”
“With the exception of two or three, all had to find their sleep being seated all the time. After reaching
Raichur the pressure became unbearable.”
“The rush of passengers could not be stayed. The guards or other railway servants came in only to
push in more passengers,” the Mahatma wrote.
Protests by a Memon merchant against this “packing of passengers like sardines” were in vain. It was
his fifth night in the train. He was insulted and referred to the management at the terminus, said
Gandhiji.
Thirty-five passengers travelled in a carriage meant for 22 with some lying on the floor and some
others travelled standing. A free fight for space was averted by an intervention from older passengers.

Dirty Compartments and Filthy Food

Gandhiji wrote that the compartment was not cleaned during the journey. Passengers waded through
dirt. The closet inside the compartment was not cleaned and there was no water in the tank.
Tea at stations was “tannin water with filthy sugar and a whitish looking liquid miscalled milk which
gave this water a muddy appearance” according to Gandhiji.
Everything about the refreshments were dirty – dirty looking, handed by dirtier hands, kept in dirty
vessels, sampled by millions of flies and weighed in equally unattractive scales- he penned. Though
passengers badmouthed the quality of food, they had no choice.
Return Journey
The return journey was no better. The carriage was packed and Gandhiji could get in thanks to his
friend. There were 12 people constantly populating them compartment meant for nine passengers.
At one place an important railway servant swore at and threatened a protestant while locking the door
over the passengers whom he had squeezed in with difficulty.
The European closet was unusable; there was a pipe but no water. Dirt was lying thick upon the
woodwork, Gandhiji penned.
His co-passengers were three stalwart Punjabi Mahomedans, two refined Tamilians and two
Mahomedan merchants, he wrote.
One of them had to bribe Rs 5 for his ticket and seat. These three men were bound for Ludhiana and
had still more nights of travel in store for them.

Dirty Stations
Gandhiji observed that the dirty ambience at stations was normal. He had experienced the same at all
stations he got down – Raichur, Dhond, Sonepur, Chakradharpur, Purulia and Asansol.
The waiting rooms were nosy and dirty. So were the floors, people, sat, spat and smoked wherever
they liked. This was despite smoking being prohibited by law.
Disinfectants were unknown and the third class passenger being dumb and helpless never complained.
Many even observed a fast during train travel to lessen their ordeal.
According to Gandhiji, at the Imperial Capital “a certain third class booking-office is a Black-Hole fit
only to be destroyed.” He was appalled that the plague had become widespread in India as a result.

First Class vs Third Class

Gandhiji observed that the first-class fare from Bombay to Madras was over five times the third-class
fare. However, the third class passenger did not receive even one-tenth the comfort of the privileged
first-class passenger.
The neglect of third-class passengers resulted in a lost opportunity of inculcating the habits of
orderliness, cleanliness, sanitation, clean tastes, and decent composite life in them. Instead, these
passengers had their sense of decency and cleanliness blunted, Gandhiji wrote.
Finally, he suggested that third-class travel would definitely improve if people in high places
experienced third class without prior intimation just to get a feel of the common man’s suffering. This
would give the uncomplaining millions some return for the fares they paid to travel in the expectation
of being transported with ordinary creature comforts.
Conclusion:
This novel was written when Gandhi ji returned to India from South Africa. This novel tells the
condition of third class Indian Railway of British era.
I personally enjoyed reading this novel in my free time. The words in it has strong conveying power
which makes it more interesting, also reliving the past is what wake my interest up. The text in the
novel can be related even today by comparing the sleeper class of today’s Indian Railway.

Bibliography
1. https://www.railpost.in
2. https://www.youtube.com
3. http://sittingbee.com