Kurkure express???
it had all the signs of an uneventful train ride when i landed at the bangalore railway station to catch the weekend commuter to chennai.The platform was chaotic as usual, with the usual suspects, young yuppie IT workers returning home, the odd mama mami going back after visiting their offsprings, a couple of bemused NRI in shorts wondering if the train journey will be better than their platform experience..
as is my wont, i settled myself down on the kerb and was indulging in my favourite people watching pastime, much to the annoyance of maddy – who felt that i wasnt listening to her college stories, which i wasnt- when the crackling speaker announced the departure of Kurkure Special express.
Being habitually derided by Maddy for lending a deaf ear, i didnt give it much thought, till i spotted the departure information on display “Bangalore Nagercoil Kurkure Special Express leaving Bangalore at 6 PM from platform no 5.” My mind conjured up nightmarish visions of the entire route littered with Kurkure covers. While i was wondering if that was the reason, i was told quite authoritatively by Maddy that Railways is making money by letting corporates sponsor train names for a some time. She generally knows a lot of important info like this.
Visions of Fair and Lovely express, Sunsilk express, Pears mail, KFC express sprang to mind, a far cry from impressive names like Amrapalli, Andhra Kesari, August Kranti, Ganga kaveri, Garib Rath, Godhan, GrandTrunk, Ispat, Sadbhavana, Sashya Shyamala, Matsyagandha Expresses
u may call it blatant commercialisation, a gross dilution of the naming tradition followed so well so far, but pretty harmless if u ask me.Railways can use some additional money, it makes for good food for thought for idle brains like me.
it should test the marketers’ acumen in full.
which train can a LIC pick?? would banks want to join the wagon, which routes will they pick? i am not sure the watch companies will be very keen, given our railway record.will the cell phone companies find a route where the network doesnt drop between stations?? what about automobile companies – will they make trains vehicles for their campaigns? liquor companies might be left in the lurch here – cant imagine them sponsoring something they are prohibited in. airconditioning companies may have it easier, with only a handful options to choose from
more logistical problems.would fair and lovely passenger run along the Chennai-Madurai or Jammu- Delhi route? should tata tea express to darjeeling or to ooty/conoor? sunsilk express will need to aviod places like Tirupati for obvious reasons.
where will this lead next? are carriages and platforms next in line? will we have a airtel express arriving in tatanagar on a hutch platform??
i will wait and watch, and just stick to people watching till then
