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

Local from Tiruvallur to Chennai Central at 7.30am The third compartment (third from the biker cabin) is also used as a jukebox. A one-off model, this jukebox offers live song performances. First-timers are often surprised to hear vocal notes drowning out the buzz and hum of the suburban electric train and occasionally rising in rhythm over the clatter of the wheels. There are no professional singers in sight; nor trained musicians. And the singing can sometimes get ragged around the edges. The voices of commuters are uneducated, sometimes rough-textured, but overwhelmingly real.

This is a group created during the commute. People from different walks of life, from different offices, stay together during their commute because they sing together as the train carries them to work and home. It’s a local ‘encore’ from Chennai Central to Tiruvallur at 6.25pm, with the band stretching their vocal chords again. It’s a motivational reminder that between deadlines at work and chores at home, there’s always a relaxing chair to sit in.

This “choir of commuters” is loosely defined as the daily playlist (Tamil and occasional Hindi songs) and the list of singers. As with any word-of-mouth tradition, there are many elements to its identity and history. Singers would use various names for the group. Some called it “Rail Ragam”. Others embrace a more idealized vision, choosing to keep it anonymous and thus deepening the mystery. I. Jayaseelan, an advocate and key member of the group, has an origin story for the group that merges with the cosmogony that supports the Big Bang Theory. “No one started this; the group was born suddenly. No one knows how it happened,” says Jayaseelan. P. Venugopal, who joined the group in 2003 and contributes banjos to the music in motion, has a “creationist” perspective, stating that it was started by a railway employee and that the young group was entertained and fed by various passengers. Points of agreement include the group’s longevity of nearly 40 years. Composition of the group: Staff from Government Hospital, Secretariat, LIC, Port, legal experts associated with the Supreme Court and many private organisations. There is no official membership. People get on and off the train.

However, in order to lead the hearing in a crowded hall, a voice that is accustomed to the careful scrutiny of the audience is helpful. Those who have always sung are taught the habit of singing in challenging environments. Jayaseelan explains that he has a music group called “Inisaai Saral”. Musical instruments such as rhythm pads are brought by members. Even the edges of a baffle are used as surfaces for drumming.

While commuting to work, singers have been known to be offered small gifts; If the listener is moved by the song, they usually eat. “The best gifts are not materialistic; they come as appreciation that we accept with both hands,” notes Jayaseelan. “Listeners often get so lost in the music that they miss their destination by a few stations. Sometimes they deliberately miss their destination to listen to more songs.”

The train compartment is a shared space and some passengers may want their peace as well as the sanctity of such spaces to be preserved. This means don’t sign up for an impromptu concert.

“Sometimes singers can get carried away and be too loud to put non-participants at ease. There have been cases where a singer was ‘suspended’ by the railway police. He was not arrested, just taken away,” says Jeyaseelan.

The lawyer notes: “Singing will not end; and the phenomenon is hardly unique from Chennai Central to Tiruvallur district. There is a long-standing singing group on the suburban line from Chennai Beach to Tambaram; there is another on the line from Chennai Beach to Tiruvallur.”

What’s more delicious than singing in these train groups are the quietly played notes of friendship and relaxation. Strangers become friends. Weary passengers find solace. An old soul feels renewed by breathing in the air of nostalgia.

For detailed information about the group, call 94441 07353.