Award-winning author Rahul Bhattacharya returns with Railsong, a lyrical novel set in post-independence India. Following Charu, a railway worker’s daughter, the story explores themes of freedom, memory, and self-invention against the backdrop of a country in transition. An excerpt reveals her spirited defiance and yearning for autonomy.
Rahul Bhattacharya, celebrated for his Man Asian Prize–shortlisted work, unveils his latest novel Railsong, a sweeping tale of personal and political transformation. Set in a railway township during India’s shift from steam to diesel, the novel follows Charu, a motherless child with a fierce will to chart her own destiny.
Key Highlights
- Railsong is set in a young, modernizing India, where Charu dreams of escaping domestic constraints and forging a life on her own terms
- The novel opens with a poignant scene: Charu, just three years old, insists on counting people from the train door rather than the window, revealing her early defiance and curiosity
- Her father, Animesh, an idealist and artist, becomes a recurring figure in her emotional landscape, as does her long-absent mother, Jigyasa
- Charu’s journey takes her westward to Bombay, where she navigates love, identity, and survival amid the chaos of the Emergency era
- Bhattacharya’s prose blends historical detail with poetic introspection, capturing the rhythms of railway life and the emotional terrain of a woman seeking freedom
- The novel explores caste, class, and gender through Charu’s evolving relationships and her refusal to be defined by her surname, Chitol
- Railsong is slated for release in India in November 2025, with international editions following in early 2026
The excerpt published by Hindustan Times offers a glimpse into Bhattacharya’s evocative storytelling, where trains become metaphors for movement, memory, and transformation. Charu’s voice—bold, tender, and unrelenting—promises a compelling narrative of resistance and reinvention.
Sources: Hindustan Times, Rahul Bhattacharya Official Site, Bloomsbury India