The 1,800-mile (2,900-kilometer) journey south from New Delhi to Kanyakumari is one of the longest train rides in India, passing through cities, villages, scrub forests, and deep ravines. The 22-car Thirukkural Express is a microcosm of India, carrying passengers from different castes and religions with wide-ranging ambitions and grievances.
Passengers on the Thirukkural Express are divided by their politics, a topic that is top of mind with a consequential election underway. The ruling Bharatiya Janata Party is likely to win and reappoint Prime Minister Narendra Modi for another five years. India’s economy has grown rapidly under Modi, but his Hindu-nationalist agenda has sharpened religious divisions in the country and raised fears of a slide from secular democracy toward religious autocracy.
