THE TRPA BLOG

Rail Bandhu for passengers on high-end trains
NEW DELHI: Passengers on high-end trains like the Rajdhani Express and the Shatabdi Express can now look forward to getting Rail Bandhu, an in-house magazine to be published by the Railways, free of cost.

The first magazine by the Railways is all set to be launched on Rail Diwas on April 16 by Minister Mamata Banerjee.

As a pilot project, the Rail Bandhu (rail friend) will be launched in Northern Railway and distributed in high-end trains.
Take home copies

Unlike the air carriers, the Railways will allow its passengers to carry the magazine with them.

Editorial board

As head of the project, Kolkata-based quiz master Derek O'Brien tested the pros and cons of making the scheme viable and decided to publish one lakh copies. Should it prove a hit with the passengers, the print order could go up to 10 lakh copies.

To be published under the editorial board comprising Mr. O'Brien and leading artist Shuvaprasanna, the inaugural issue is likely to be of nearly 100 pages, of which one-third would be reserved for advertisements.

History revisited

Apart from focusing on issues relating to railway zones in northern India, it will also have write-ups on how Rabindranath Tagore, whose 150th birth anniversary is being celebrated this year, lost and found his Gitanjali manuscript in a London Tube.

It will also feature the Saloon Car recipes of the British days, a history of the Indian Railways and a story by the famous author Ruskin Bond.

(The Hindu dt 30-1-2011)