Bhubaneswar, Sept. 7 (UDN): An ordinary train journey turned into a lively celebration of books and literature on Sunday as around 100 readers and writers travelled aboard Train No. 68429 Bhubaneswar-Daspalla MEMU under the Rail Reading Campaign “Gift A Book”.
The initiative was organised by East Coast Railway (ECoR) in association with Walking Book Fairs, Bhubaneswar, to promote reading and take literature beyond conventional spaces such as libraries and bookstores.
The journey featured interactions with noted writers Jerry Pinto, Sarat Chandra Das, Christoph Ransmayr, Aakriti Mandhwani and Chandrahas Choudhary. They engaged with participants and fellow passengers through poetry, literary discussions, personal experiences and reflections.
Shortly after the train left Bhubaneswar, around 200 books were distributed free among passengers as part of the campaign. The gesture was aimed at encouraging people to cultivate or revive the habit of reading.
Inside the coach, passengers participated in a collective silent reading session, turning the moving train into a temporary literary space. Books, poetry, music and conversations created an atmosphere distinctly different from a routine train journey.
The campaign was inaugurated by East Coast Railway General Manager Parmeshwar Funkwal, who also travelled with the participants and joined the literary activities.
The programme continued after the train reached Daspalla, where writers and participants gathered at the railway station for “Poetry on the Platform”. The event provided an unusual setting for sharing poems and literary expressions.
The return journey to Bhubaneswar featured “Mudhi Masala on the Train”, combining informal literary conversations with a distinctly local touch.
The initiative demonstrated how everyday public spaces can be transformed into platforms for cultural exchange and reading. For a day, the Bhubaneswar-Daspalla MEMU became not just a means of transport but a moving hub for books, ideas, poetry and conversations.
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