This is the fascinating story of how a politician who was mired in corruption charges and, who by a twist of destiny became India’s Railway minister, turned around this loss making monopoly to a profitable enterprise.  His name is Lalu Prasad Yadav – India’s Railway Minister.

Any or most Indians would know this rustic  politician who has a knack of sending people into peals of laughter with his talk and mannerisms. After he took over the Railway Ministry, Laloo was able to transform the loss making Indian Railways into a profit making enterprise with surpluses over billions.

Graeme Wood narrates this  riveting story of how the great Indian Railways miracle happened and the part played by Laloo.

A few facts about Indian Railways

• Every year, Indians take 5.4 billion train trips, 7 million per day in suburban Mumbai alone.
• New Delhi Station sees daily transit of 350,000 passengers, which is roughly five times more than New York’s LaGuardia Airport, and enough to make Grand Central look like Mayberry Junction.
• The Indian railways’ total track mileage rivals the length of the entire U.S. Interstate Highway system, even though the United States is three times the size of India.
• The Indian railways is the second largest employer in the world having over 1.5 million employees in its rolls. Its position  is supplanted only by the People’s Liberation Army of China.