Rahul Bhattacharya speaks about the musicality behind Railsong, the taxonomical motifs at the heart of his novel, cricket journalism, and finding inspiration in Toni Morrison. By Saurabh Sharma

In the late 2000s, Karan Madhok left home to travel alone around India, living off a backpack, sleeping in trains, searching for more of his country, and finding more parts of himself. In a photo-essay, he recalls why this ‘bharat darshan’ was the best experience of his life.

Short story by Jamie Alter: ‘His eyes were ever sadder than the lady on the train. Yet there was some resemblance between the two, a similar pain that both of their eyes had been accustomed to.’

Overrated, wonderful little cups of chai. Shadows of sunlit coaches in the day-time. The human restlessness at the platform. Colourful bookstalls and neon nights. The country transforming outside the barred windows. Here’s a photo gallery of life seen through the Indian Railways by Karan Madhok