Remember Malgudi Days? Yes, I’m talking about that collection of short stories written by none other than R. K. Narayan. The same Malgudi Days as one of the widely viewed television serials of all time. The show was so popular in the late eighties that the station (Arasalu) where the entire shooting was done had been rechristened as Malgudi. Too interesting and fascinating.
Thinking what is the connection of Malgudi with this article? When, for the first time, I went to Heelalige Railway Station, I felt the same thing. Can so cool and calm a rail station be? Can a rail station be surrounded by so many green trees? Can a rail station provide you an awesome view on both sides till your eyes can reach along the lines? Yes, that can be Heelalige. It is not a big station neither famous. But if you drive yourself from the main road towards this village station, you will find true serenity and tranquility. A station at the end of a town, Heelalige can be an ideal location for you to spend some time alone.
It was an impromptu decision of five like minded friends to explore Heelalige all of a sudden. Only one had an experience of commuting from there to the city as a daily passenger, but that too years before. No one knows how it is now and none of us came in this part of Bangalore in the recent past. Reached, and the big trees welcomed us with a flavor of eternity. A good number of motorbikes affirmed that still, people are using this station. Passed the Ticket Counter and entered into the platform (Don’t worry, you won’t be asked to show your ticket unless any train comes). The two platforms bear the taste of a village with nothing up. We had a long view as per our eyesight only to find the bare platform, green trees on both sides, and the never-ending parallel lines.
This line is the extension of Salem to the Hosur railway track that was laid way back in the British period. It leads to the main city of Bangalore but never had such importance in any quarter. In a place like Bangalore where the number of cars are increasing everyday in geometric progression and traffic jams in several places have become synonymous with this silicon city, such a rail line had all the features to relive people from that daily saga. While a journey from Heelalige to Bangalore main city will take around 2 hours in car and you have to pay around 1000 bucks for it, the same distance you can cover only within 1 hour and that too only paying 10 Rupees. Located around 8 km away from the famous Electronic City, Heelalige railway station is a picture of abundance, neglect, and sorrow. Local people are ready to use it more, but the number of passenger trains has hardly been increased over the years. Several efforts were made inappropriate channels only to wait for more number of trains so that people from nearby locations like Chandapura, Anekal, Attibele, Bommasandra can be hugely benefited. Till now, it remains same as before.
Hardly a few auto plies in this route and that too only as per the train timings. If some feeder buses are arranged from various parts, then your life has hundred reasons to be happy. You will find ATMs, Cinema Halls, Shopping Malls, Restaurants, Hotels, Schools, and Colleges in a radius of 3-5 km and thousands of people can avail of this service if the frequency of the trains is increased in a considerable number. Monthly sale of tickets will be also higher and authorities will have ample funds to renovate the station as per modern amenities to serve aged persons, women, and children.
Oh Yes, you won’t get any shop to buy anything; not even a tea stall to quench your thirst outside the station. But you will find the real meaning of peace that you can’t buy elsewhere. Let the Heelalige Railway Station get more importance for the sake of Bengalureans. Toilets to be made, parking lot to be demarcated, drinking water supply should be arranged, lighting arrangements should be done and sheds should be erected in the platforms to avoid heat and rain. Oh! All these can be done in one condition. Those beautiful and big trees could not be axed in any situation; else the beauty of Heelalige will just vanish.
The Big Five:
