The Railway People

This sounds liike the title of a pleasant novel.  In fact, this photograph (and today's first photography session) was taken of the people who live by the railway lines in Kolkata.  Their simple houses are literally just a few feet from the tracks, and they spend their days on and about the railway lines. 

There were markets set up between the lines selling fresh fish and vegetables:   the shades protecting them from the sun had to be dismantled when a train trundled by to or from the nearby station, and were re-erected after it had passed by.  This group playing cards didn't bother to move at all when a train came past,

It all sounds pretty rough - and it is - but they seem to be a remarkably content community.  We were taken to the site and shown where to go by a lovely, seemingly well educated young lady who spoke decent English and ordered our Uber cabs on her mobile phone.  It turned out that she lives in this community and wishes to stay because her family live here.  Her husband works in the army while she is at home with her mother, brother and son.  Apparently it is quite common for people to prefer to stay here.

We spent several hours here before returning for some street photography near where we are staying.