Ayutha Pooja the Festival of Tools the locomotive shed would transform. It was the one day when the heavy, relentless roar of the railway paused for something deeply sacred and communal. For those of us who worked there, and the families who lived alongside the tracks, the machines weren't just metal; they were our livelihood, and the tools we used every day were treated with the utmost reverence. Look at the centerpiece of our celebration: the massive KTM steam locomotive, No. 403.05. We spent hours preparing it, climbing high onto its iron frame to drape it in festive banana leaves, mango branches, and garlands. A large ceremonial sign was carefully handwritten and mounted right on the front, reading "PERAYAAN HARI PERALATAAN" (Our Great Tool Festival), flanked by the date, 19 Oct 1969, and the words "KERETAPI T_MELAYU BANGSAL LOCOMOTIVE K LIPIS" written alongside Tamil scripts. The train, usually covered in soot, looked like a regal giant, honored and blessed. In the photo, the men of the depot stand proud and shoulders-square in their everyday wear—casual shirts, trousers, and sandals. We were the operators, the mechanics, the hands that kept the Jungle Railway moving. But my eyes always wander to the boys sitting on the ground in the front. There they are: three young, barefoot kids, looking directly at the lens. For them, the loco shed was an endless playground, and festival days like this meant running around amidst the chatter, the sweet aroma of offered fruits, camphor, and prasadam, and the excitement of a rare camera being set up on a tripod. We gathered together, young and old, under the corrugated roof of the old shed, acknowledging the hard work of the past year and praying for safety and prosperity on the tracks ahead. Decades have passed since that October afternoon, and the steam locomotives have long since been retired, but the warmth of that community, back when we were all bound by the iron rails of Kuala Lipis, remains as vivid as ever. - @preamnairblog