Crooners beat the commuting blues on a long suburban line from Chennai to Tiruvallur

On the 7.30 a.m. local from Tiruvallur to Chennai Central, compartment three (third from the motorman’s cab) doubles as a jukebox. A one-off model, this jukebox cranks out live singing performances. First-timers are usually gobsmacked to hear vocal notes drowning the whir and whine of the suburban electric train and rising in cadence over the occasional clatter of its wheels. No professional singers in sight; nor trained musicians. And the singing can sometimes get ragged around the edges. Commuters are the voices, untrained, occasionally coarse-textured, but irresistibly real.

It is a group forged on the commute. People drawn from different walks of life, different offices, staying together on the commute because they have been singing together as the train carries them to work and home again. It is an “encore” on the 6.25 p.m. local from Chennai Central to Tiruvallur, the group flexing their vocal cords again. This is a motivational reminder that between deadlines at work and chores at home, there is always a seat of relaxation to nestle into.

This “commuters choir” is as loosely defined as its daily playlist (Tamil and occasionally Hindi songs) and its roster of singers. As in any word-of-mouth tradition, there are multiple strands to its identity and history. Singers would reel off a diversity of names for the group. Some have given it a moniker, “Rail Ragam”. Others hold on to a more idealised vision of it, choosing to keep it nameless, thereby deepening mystique. I. Jayaseelan, an advocate and a key member of the group, has an origin story for the group that melds with cosmogony upholding Big Bang Theory. “Nobody started it; the group was born suddenly. Nobody knows how,” observes Jayaseelan. P. Venugopal, who joined the group in 2003 and contributes to the music on the move with banjos, takes a “creationist” view, pointing out that a railway employee started it, and the young group was dandled and nourished by a diversity of commuters. Points of agreement include the group’s longevity, close to 40 years old. Composition of the group: staff from Government Hospital, Secretariat, LIC, Harbour, law professionals associated with the High Court and from many private enterprises as well. There is no formal membership. People hop on and off the way they would a train.

However, to be able to hold court in a crowded compartment, a voice accustomed to the scrutiny of an audience helps. Those who sing invariably are given to the habit of singing in challenging settings. Jayaseelan reveals that he has a music troupe called “Inisaai Saral”. Music instruments such as rhythm pads are brought in by members. Even the sides of a compartment are used as surface for drumming.

On the commute, the singers are known to be offered small gifts, usually eats, if a listener is moved by the singing. “The best gifts are not materialistic; they come as appreciation which we accept with both hands,” points out Jayaseelan. “Often, listeners get so lost in the music that they miss their destination, overshooting it by a few stations. Sometimes, they deliberately miss their destination to listen in to more songs.”

A train compartment is a shared space, and some commuters might want the sanctity of such spaces to be protected, along with it their peace. And that would mean hey do not sign up for the impromptu concert.

“Sometimes, the singers might get carried away, and get too loud for the non-participants’ comfort. There have been instances where a singer has been ‘led away’ by the railway police. Not arrested, just led away,” says Jeyaseelan.

The advocate notes “the singing will not die down; and the phenomenon is hardly unique to the Chennai Central to Tiruvallur local. There is a long-lasting singing group on the Chennai Beach to Tambaram suburban line; and another on the Chennai Beach to Tiruvallur line.”

What is more delectable than the singing in these train groups is the notes of camaraderie and relaxation that are struck silently. Strangers become companions. Weary commuters find solace. An old soul feels renewed, breathing in the air of nostalgia.

For details about the group, call 94441 07353