OKHIL BABU’S LETTER: It is known that one Okhil Chandra Sen wrote this letter to Sahidganj Divisional Railway Office in 1909. It is on display at the Railway Musseum in New Delhi. It was also reproduced under the caption ‘Travellers Tales’ in the Far Eastern Economic Review. OKHIL BABU’S LETTER TO THE RAILWAY DEPARMENT GOES LIKE THIS: ____________________________________________________________ ‘I am arrive by passenger train ahmedpur station and my belly is too swelling with jackfruit. I am therefore went to privy.Just I doing the nuisance that guard making the whistle blow for train to go off and i am running with ‘lotah’ in one hand and ‘dhoti’ in the next when I am fall over and expose all my shockings to man and female woman on platform. It is too much shame shame for me.This is too much bad,if passenger go to make dung that stupid dam guard not wait train five minutes for him.I am therefore pray your honour to make big fine on that guard for public sake.Otherwise I am making big report to papers.’ Any guesses why this letter was of historic value? It apparently led to the introduction of toilets on trains in this part of the world!!! |