Retired employee exhibits love for Railways with 'train home'

Rohidas Shinde, who had retired from railway service in 1988 after serving the national carrier for 38 years, decided to transform his house and give it the look of a train coach as his tribute to his former employer.

Sangli (Maharashtra): Though it has been over three decades since he bid adieu to the world of trains, a retired railway employee from Maharashtra's Sangli district, still exhibits unending love for his former employer.

Rohidas Shinde, a retired employee from Miraj, has given a unique look to his house, which resembles an Indian Railways coach - replete with two doors and signboards.

Shinde, who is over 90 years of age, currently lives with his wife in his 'train home'. He had joined the Railways in 1950 and continued to serve the national carrier till his retirement in 1988. Through the length of his career, he worked for the Pune and Hubli divisions of the Railways.

A major chunk of Shinde's entire life, with his wife, six sons and a daughter, was spent in a small railway quarter. As the entire family could not sleep in a ten-by-ten room, the children used to spend their nights inside a stationary train coach at the station.

The fact that all his children received their education through the railways, and even called train coaches their home in the nights, has led to the family holding the railways in high regard.

With the job helping the family survive and even acting as a stepping stone to success for the children, Shinde feels he is forever in debt of the railways.

Rohidas' children decided to fulfil their father's dream of owning a home, and built a house for their parents in Subhash Nagar.

However, the idea for a train home came when Rohidas' youngest son Anil Shinde visited a school in Khatav in Miraj taluka, which was given the look of a train. When he presented the idea to his father, he immediately agreed.

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With the entire family's approval, Suresh Landage, an art teacher from Khatav, was given the transformation job. Once completed, the house was named 'Ratna Rohi Express'.

"Even after retirement, my father's love for railways never waned. My father faithfully served the railways and us siblings got the fruits of it. All the brothers are working in different fields today. Someone is a professor, someone is an engineer, someone is a businessman," Anil said.

"We are very proud of the railways. My father even considers the railway as his deity and has worked diligently for his God. There was always a feeling that we should do something for our father, and in the meantime, we decided to give the house the look of a train," he added.

Though it has been decades since his retirement, Rohidas' love for the railways has not diminished. Even at the age of 90, he goes to Miraj railway station on Independence Day and Republic Day every year and participates in the flag-hoisting programme.

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