SIB: Indian Railways : The Weaving Of A: The Weaving of a National Tapestry

Best one with all the timelines, comprehensive book

A very nice book to read and very interesting things to know about the Indian Railways and it's past history.....

Enjoyed it thoroughly. Facts described in this book are based on research. You can find the references of each and every photograph, letter and events. People, who are interested in the history of India and of course those who are rail enthusiasts, will have a ball. So much unknown and never-told-before information is revealed in this book.Events are described in chronological order: conception, proposal, construction, operation and expansion. The book highlights the people who played crucial roles in making the railway a reality in the country and the impact it had with their untimely deaths.After construction the biggest challenge faced was it's successful operation to which we are still looking for solutions.To some extent you will get an idea that the present scenario of the Indian Railways is not what the promoters and builders had on their minds at the time of its inception.

I had bought this book hoping for some new interesting and engaging stories about how the Indian Railways enterprise came to be. While it surely gave me information about how IR was concieved and built and operated, it severely lacked in the interesting and engaging part. The subject matter has been written in the most boring and mundane manner which apart from some moments of absorbing attention, will make sure that you will put off the book till as long as possible.After going over the Introduction by Gurcharan Das, I had very high expectations because it is the only piece of writing in the entire book which is original and will captivate you to turn the pages. I never been more wrong. This book has been written more like an academic report than an engaging prospect. The authors dwell on the original sources too much and reproduce verbatim the reports and letters which could have been paraphrased in a better way. Too less original content.Some of the parts were really eye opening which one would not find even on the Internet. The story behind Dwarkanath Tagore is an example.People would be better off not buying this book and instead visit the IRFCA website which I personally found more interesting, has more photographs and travel memoirs.

Always had this feeling that railways were laid to loot the country but with this book..i know now that indian working classes could not have been connected had railways not been there. very good read

Nice read, contains some good facts, trivia about Indian Railways established by Britishers for their colonial, commercial and military aims.

Small book for a such a subject.

If you are looking just for facts, and some numbers, buy this book.However, if you are wanting to read something nice, then do not.This book is a collection of armchair research done by more than one intern and not the authors. Different chapters read different in terms of language, writing style, content etc. As grudgingly acknowledged, this book is copy, rephrase and paste of content from other web sites. The anecdotes are sketchy, because the writers (the interns) never stepped out of office to do actual research. It is rather evident from the writing.The book has editorial misses too.The book, in its shoddiness makes you want to ask Penguin for a refund. What is shocking is that the people who have their names on the book as authors, are comfortable to have their names on someone else's shoddy writing, lack of true research and writing from the confines of an office. There is clear lack of attention to detail. What is disturbing is that Bibek DebRoy is part of the Niti Ayog. If this is what he does in something that he is going to earn money from, and has his name on it ... it is bothersome to figure what his quality of work at the Niti Ayog, for the country. Shameful.

Truly nostalgic. Nothing to beat or compare to the charm if Indian Railways

My father enjoyed the quality of this book!

This is a pastiche of almost totally unconnected material, indifferently written, with execrable illustrations and illegible maps.