Victoria Terminus :
Modeled on the lines of the St Pancras Station
in London, Victoria Terminus is undoubtedly
the Raj's piece de resistance, Complete
with carved stone friezes, stained glass
windows and flying buttresses. It is Gothic
architecture at its best, an awesome edifice
that most citizens view with deep pride.
At the top of the central dome stands the
triumphant figure of Progress. The station
was christened to commemorate Victoria Jubilee
Day in 1887 when India's first steam engine
puffed out to neighboring Thane, about 45
kms away. Today it has been rechristened
Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus after the Maratha
warrior. And the old steam engines have
been replaced by electric ones. But to the
2.5 million commuters who push past its
massive portals everyday, this is still
VT, the pulse of a throbbing city.
|