THE YOUNG LAD STOOD before the towering 'wada' that stood next to his home. He had but to
step out of his home to spend an evening with his friends who lived in the wada
belonging to Jhandelwal saab. His boyhood was spent in the idyllic surroundings
of the wada, amidst cries of play and the long silences of evening. Today
as he gazed up at the palatial home his heart missed a beat. For it was Ganpati
Utsav time, and Sitalamata Bazar where he lived was alive with color and
excitement. The 'jhankis' or colourful tableaux set up during these days were a
great favourite with the kids, but this time Jhandelwal saab had set up the
most unusual jhanki in his home. It was a model rail jhanki -- a live
exhibition featuring an HO gauge electric train set he had brought from
England. How dazzling were the lights shining onto those coloured trains and
engines as they playfully purred along on the oval track! It was a show that
enthralled both children and grown-ups alike.
The city
of Indore where Narsingh Das grew up was a quiet place in those days, a far cry
from the malls, the multiplex cinemas and expressways that are now so much a
part of city life. Traditionally Indore has been the seat of great cultural
activity. The excitement reached a crescendo at Ganpati festival time when a
never ending string of performances -- the mushairas, kavi sammelans, and
various other programmes were staged by Ganpati Mandals spread across the city.
The whole town wore a festive air during those ten memorable days.
A notable
feature of the ongoing celebrations was the 'jhanki' -- colourful tableaux done
up with great taste, each depicting a theme and lit with bright incandescent
lamps. These jhankis were hugely popular and families could be seen strolling
at leisure till as late as midnight in the market place moving along from one
jhanki to the next.
Growing up
in a place so vibrant with art and culture had a decided influence on the young
boy. Today as he stood watching the model train staged in Jhandelwal saab's
wada he was entranced. The trains, diminutive in size, whizzing along tracks
and halting at tiny stations on the way, captured his imagination as
nothing else had done before. Already a train enthusiast, young Narsingh Das
was siezed with an irresistible desire. He decided that one day not far in the
future he must go on to set up his own model railway show. He would not be a
mere spectator, but would own his own model railway and would hold his own
shows.
Narsingh
Das Bang was but a lad of 15 when he dreamed his great dream. He was born in a
business family living in the Sitalamata Bazar area of Indore. His father Shri
Ramakishanji Bang was an industrious man who owned a wholesale kirana business
in Siyaganj Mandi, a business area of the town. Narsingh Das finished school
and went on to join Holkar Science College graduating with a degree in Science
in 1966. It was thought that like his brother Narayan Das who held a master's
degree in Commerce, Narsingh Das would go on to take higher education but
things did not work out as planned and this together with family constraints
made the young man abandon plans for further education and instead he joined
his father and brothers in the family owned wholesale kirana business.
Over the
next forty years Shri Bang would remain in Indore doing business. His work
ethics and fairness in dealings made him a highly respected member of the
business community of the town. During his career as a wholesale merchant
he has been the recipient of several honours ; in 1990 he was elected to the
much coveted chair of President of the Siyaganj Wholesale Kirana Merchants'
Association.
A year
after he joined the family business, Narsingh Dasji's world revolved around one
overriding concern, and this was to excel in business. The turning point in his
life came when his elder brother Purushottamji presented him with a battery
operated HO gauge train set made by Crown Railway of Bombay. The year was 1975
and for Narsingh Das it was long cherished dream come true. It was a memorable
year in his life.
The train
set could not have come at a more opportune moment. It was Ganpati Utsav time
and Narsingh Das and his brothers lost no time in setting up their show using a
plywood baseboard measuring 6 feet by 12 feet which was erected in front of the
home.
It was
full fledged tableau. When evening came and the lights were switched on,
visitors were delighted to see a colourful panorama of a toy train threading
its way through points and crossings, making its way through stations, and
rumbling over bridges and viaducts.
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| The Crown Railway jhanki held at Ganpati festival in 1978 |
The jhanki was a runaway success, drawing 'oohs' and 'aahs' from the crowds who thronged the stall throughout the evening. It was truly a novel idea, for nowhere in town would you come upon a tableau at festival time with a train as its theme.
The model
train diorama gave its owner as much pleasure as it did to the visitors to the
stall. Narsingh Das Bang's mission was now clear. He knew he must hold his
exhibition each year when festival time came round. He would use his model
railway both to entertain visitors as well as to impart to them a knowledge of
the way a railway was run.
Narsingh
Dasji's fascination with staging model rail dioramas has never waned and with
each passing year he has added improvements to his layout. Beginning with a
Crown Railway train set, he has now moved on to Marklin which is known for its
authentic detail and fine workmanship. He now owns an impressive layout in his
home complete with figures, homes and streets.
Much of
what Shri Bang owns today on his model railway originated in two purchases he
made in the early 1980s. He loves to recall how he discovered Marklin :
"In 1982 I had been to Bombay where I visited the Crown Railway factory in
Andheri and met the owner Mr Ashwin Mehta. Mehta's unit produced battery
operated HO gauge train sets copying certain English designs. My meeting with
Mehta proved to be fruitful and he soon became a friend. He even gave me a copy
of a Marklin model train catalogue he had with him."
The model
catalogue deeply impressed Narsingh Das and he began to hope he would be able
to get a Marklin train set for himself. Fortune seemed to favour him for barely
had a few months passed after his return to Indore when the phone rang in his
home. It was Ashwin Mehta on the line and he had good news to share about a
Parsi family in Bombay who wished to sell their HO gauge Marklin train layout.
And so
Narsingh Dasji found himself in Bombay once again. He visited the Parsi home
where he inspected the layout and its rolling stock and locomotives. The model
railway seemed to be in good order and he purchased the whole set for a sum of
Rs 7000. He was now the proud owner of a top grade HO model railway !
He was now
on very close terms with Mehta. "I was new to the world of model railways
and Mehta gave me my first lessons in this fascinating hobby," he tells
us. "Mehta also gave me addresses of 15 German model train manufacturers.
I wrote to all these firms and ordered their catalogues. "
Correspondence
with Germany revealed that Marklin had its distributor in Hong Kong. In 1985
Narsingh Dasji planned a trip that would help him pick out the precise models
he was looking for. He had a relation staying in Hong Kong working for the
diamond trade with an office in Bombay. He bought $ 3000 from his relation at a
rate of Rs 17 per dollar (the exchange rate at that time was only Rs 12). Thus
armed with finances Narsingh Dasji was able to make a trip to Hong Kong and
finally returned with all the model railway parphernalia he had wished to have.
On his
return to India Shri Bang turned his attention to staging shows on a large
scale. He was now in possession of an extensive collection featuring both HO
and 1 gauge layouts. In 1986 residents of Indore were startled by newspaper
reports of a grand model railway exhibition to be held in the Sitalamata Bazar
area of the town. This time the jhanki was quite different from the ones he had
staged thus far ; it was larger in scale, and it was inaugurated by the Mayor
of the city himself in a glittering function attended by prominent citizens and
important personalities. "My show was open for the general public for a
whole month," remembers Narsingh Dasji. It was a momentous event, one that
townsfolk would remember for a long time to come. 'Jhanki wale' they would call
him, for Narsingh Dasji had established his reputation as the lovable model
railway showman of the town.
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| The Collector of Sehore at the rail exhibition |
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| Shri Bang's Marklin layout created a sensation in Sehore |
With this
thought in mind Narsingh Das went to the Divisional Railway office in Nagpur.
He was doubtful if his idea would be received favourably, but when he met the DRM of the S. E. C. Railway and
told him of his model railway, he was pleasantly surprised to find the official
as enthusiastic over it as he himself was. Official permission was granted and
in February 2010 Shri Bang's model room was formally inaugurated in the railway
museum.
Over the
next two years Shri Bang's model layout would delight hundreds of visitors
arriving at the rail museum of Nagpur. School children loved his trains, and
Bang tells us that during the two years he was at the museum, his rail layout
was visited by nearly twenty schools.
A dedicated model railway enthusiast, Shri Narsingh Das Bang's vision remains clear as before. Beginning with a Crown Railway train set nearly forty years ago, he has held 10-day rail exhibitions at Ganpati festival each year ever since. The crowds can still be seen thronging his model room in his home at festival time ; school children accompanied by teachers find it a tremendously exciting adventure. And Narsingh Dasji is always present on these occasions to offer instruction in railway operation to eager eyed learners. "My model railway is meant to both educate and entertain," he says.
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A dedicated model railway enthusiast, Shri Narsingh Das Bang's vision remains clear as before. Beginning with a Crown Railway train set nearly forty years ago, he has held 10-day rail exhibitions at Ganpati festival each year ever since. The crowds can still be seen thronging his model room in his home at festival time ; school children accompanied by teachers find it a tremendously exciting adventure. And Narsingh Dasji is always present on these occasions to offer instruction in railway operation to eager eyed learners. "My model railway is meant to both educate and entertain," he says.
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Ravindra Bhalerao