TTT NEWS NETWORK
DARJEELING | 22 JULY 2025
As the summer winds retreat and monsoon clouds gather along the slopes of Kurseong and Darjeeling, they leave behind more than seasonal change. They leave behind echoes—of stories told, visions shared, and dreams that found their voice on the tracks of the Darjeeling Himalayan Railway (DHR). The DHR Summer Festival 2025 was not just a cultural event. It was a living dialogue between heritage and imagination, a collaboration between steam and soul.
Where the Tracks Became a Canvas:
This year, the DHR transformed from a heritage railway into a railway of expression. Across Kurseong, Darjeeling, and Siliguri, railway platforms became portals into art, memory, and future aspirations. The festival was a sprawling celebration of creativity, led not just by institutions, but by the people of the hills themselves.
Youth at the Helm:
This festival was defined by a bold departure from the norm: it empowered youth groups, CSOs, and SHGs to not just participate—but to lead.
Logistics, outreach, marketing, volunteer coordination, and even major event management were executed with remarkable passion by local groups. One notable example was the cycle race—a thrilling and scenic event entirely conceptualised, organised, and managed by MTB Riders, a Kurseong-based cycling community. Their effort symbolised the spirit of this festival: homegrown, community-driven, and filled with purpose.
The Cinematic Pulse: DHRUMA on Wheels
A landmark feature of the summer festival was DHRUMA, a first-of-its-kind film festival where the screenings took place in heritage coaches of the toy train stationed at Kurseong. Dubbed “Screening on Wheels,” the event was more than a novelty—it was a cultural statement.
Padma Shri awardees, National Award-winning filmmakers, and veteran artists served as jury members, but the spotlight remained firmly on emerging voices. Dozens of filmmaking and photojournalism workshops were held across Darjeeling, Kurseong, and Siliguri, drawing school students, aspiring documentarians, and first-time storytellers into the DHR’s orbit.
One unforgettable moment emerged from a short film competition on the DHR. The winner? A Class 9 student from Darjeeling, whose 3-minute film on a daily walk past the tracks touched the jury deeply. The child, unsure of himself when submitting the entry, walked home with the top prize—and with it, the quiet confidence of a born storyteller.
Words that Steamed the Soul:
The literary wing of the festival unfolded in poems and prose. A bilingual poetry competition in Hindi and Nepali invited evocative reflections on the toy train, the landscape, and the heritage it holds. But one moment stood out: during the prize ceremony, a senior poet on the judging panel recited her late husband’s final poem—a Nepali ode to the Darjeeling train, written just before his passing. As her voice trembled and soared through the hall, it became clear that the railway isn’t just an engineering marvel—it is a vessel of emotion, of memories passed through generations. There wasn’t a single dry eye in the audience.
Art for the Tracks, From the Tracks
Creative expression spilled across every event:
* A ballpoint sketching competition allowed students to ink their dreams on paper, their themes reflecting the railway, the hills, and the ties between them.
* A painting competition invited vibrant interpretations of heritage and environment, turning station grounds into temporary open-air galleries.
* A doodle-making day brought young artists together in playful reinvention of steam, coaches, tunnels, and hills.
* And one of the most critically appreciated showcases was the curated painting exhibition titled *”Smoke and Mirrors”—an evocative exploration of illusion, nostalgia, and the interplay between the visible and the vanished in the railway’s legacy. Artists, both professional and emerging, captured the mystique of steam, the romance of railway memory, and the surreal beauty of the hills in bold, diverse styles. The exhibition resonated deeply with both audiences and critics, offering yet another perspective on what the DHR represents.
Each workshop, each competition, was built around one core idea: to give local talent a platform—to be seen, heard, and celebrated.
A Festival of Belonging:
Unlike past events that catered largely to visitors, this festival was firmly rooted in the local soil. The DHR offered complimentary rides for school children, many of whom had never boarded the heritage train despite living just a few feet from the tracks. It was not just an experience—it was a reclaiming.
There were no elaborate stage performances. No celebrity shows. Instead, the stage belonged to the hills themselves, and to the people who’ve grown up with the whistle of the toy train in their ears and its stories in their hearts.
Legacy on the Rails:
The Darjeeling Himalayan Railway Summer Festival 2025 stands as a powerful reminder that heritage is not preserved by protecting it in glass—it is preserved by passing it on.
To the students who sketched the B-class loco with trembling hands.
To the young cyclist who mapped the race route as if it were his own.
To the poet’s widow who spoke her husband’s farewell through rhyme.
To the class 9 filmmaker who turned a daily walk into a national showcase.
To the artist who painted steam not just as a force of motion, but as a metaphor for memory.
This wasn’t just a festival. It was a movement in motion, echoing through tunnels, steaming up to Ghoom, and pulling into memory.
And as the monsoon descends, it’s not an end. Just a whistle on the curve—another beginning around the bend.
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