DHR Supporters go off the track to help people

Steam fanatics from the UK are doing their bit to help the communities living along the tracks of the Darjeeling Himalayan Railway.

The London-based Darjeeling Himalayan Railway Society has announced a contribution of Rs 1 lakh for development projects in the hills, while the DHR Community Support Group, an offshoot of the Society, has raised about £2,500 (Rs 2 lakh).

“Our major concern at the moment is the welfare of the communities residing along the toy train tracks. We formed the Support Group in March last year to exclusively work with those communities and raise funds for the projects,” said David Barrie, the chairman of the Society, at the eighth annual conference of DHR Lovers organised by the Siliguri-based DHR-India Support Group on Sunday.

“From our own activities in the UK, we have been able to raise some money of which we are committing Rs 1 lakh now. The projects will be implemented by the DHR India Support Group,” Barrie added.

“Our mission statement is to raise money in support of health, welfare and employment within the Darjeeling railway community,” said David Mead, one of the trustees of Community Support Group. “While we have already raised £2,500, we have been promised another £2,500 in the near future.”

Their earlier trips to Darjileeing made the DHR enthusiasts think of taking up charity work along the tracks. “We were surprised to hear how difficult it was to see a doctor if you live in a village up in the hills, that the young ones can die of simple diseases like measles and the struggle some face trying to educate their children,” Mead said.

A team of 20 DHR enthusiasts from the UK took part in the annual conference here, along with the Katihar divisional railway manager of Northeast Frontier Railway, Mahtab Singh, DHR director Subrata Nath and DHR India Support Group president Rajendra Baid.

The donations have been collected in the UK through galas — like the one at Fairbourne in August last year when the Welsh station was turned into DHR’s Sukna — and talks on the toy train delivered by experts like Barrie.

“Every week sees us giving a DHR talk somewhere in the UK. The most recent exhibition was attended by over 15,000 people,” said Barrie.

At the meets, Barrie and other veteran DHR activists urge participants to contribute: £2 enables the Community Support Group to buy a school bag with pencil box and paper for a primary school student in Darjeeling, while £5 means books and writing material for one year. A recent event at Hanley Swan, Worcester, helped raise about £1,600.