By Muhammad Raihan Uddin Sarkar
A forgotten chapter of the connectivity that was envisioned around Greater Mymensingh in the railway plans of British India more than a century ago is still a question in the pages of history. Traces of a plan to expand rail connectivity from Mymensingh Junction to Gouripur Junction, Shyamganj, Jaria-Jhanjail and to Susang Durgapur-Kalmakandar Lengura Bazar can be found on a historical rail network map of 1915.

The plan was not implemented. But the more than century-old map has brought to the fore an important question—if the railway line had really reached Lengura Bazar, would the economy, trade, border communications, and tourism of greater Mymensingh have been completely different today?

As a result of the partition of 1947, the Garo Hills and the northern territory adjacent to Langura Bazar were included in India. As a result, this railway route planned by the British remained unfinished. If this line had been opened before the partition or during the British period, there would have been a permanent change in the boundaries and communication system of this region. The distance between the hilly region of Susang Durgapur and the main towns of the country would have been reduced and Langura Bazar would have become one of the most attractive border economic and tourist zones of the country.

According to the plan of this map, the line was taken from Mymensingh Junction to Gouripur Junction, Shyamganj and Zaria to Jhanjail, that is, up to the banks of the Kangsh River. Later, the British government had a far-reaching plan to extend the railway line across the river to Lengura Bazar in Susang Durgapur-Kalmakandar. This question now carries special significance in the study of local history, railway communication and regional development.

The 1915 historical rail network map used in the study has emerged as an important document from the period of railway planning in British India. It is currently preserved in the Ramsey Collection, a historical map based on the 1915 'Bengal Atlas Map' published by the Railway Board of British India (author: JH Trott and Railway Board, India ). Rumsey Collection: The main source of information for the map is the author of this feature, researcher Muhammad Raihan Uddin Sarkar. Several organizations and research centers based in Gouripur have been conducting research on this historical railway concept and map for a long time. Researcher Muhammad Raihan Uddin Sarkar has taken the initiative to add various historical and geographical information to the 1915 historical map to make it suitable for use by Bengali-speaking researchers and the general public.

The involvement of the ACECC Association , the Creative Association Historical Society and Library, and the Electoral Committee for Pen Award Affairs in this research initiative is also mentioned. The research material mentions that information from various stages of the research has been published in the Pen Award Affairs magazine for the years 2020, 2021-22, 2023, and 2024-25. The Creative Association was also involved in the presentation and graphic design of the historical map.

This historical document map from 1915 reminds us how much potential we have lost as a hill tourist center and commercial zone due to lack of planning and foresight. Through fieldwork and research, the roots of history and heritage can be continuously presented.

Langura Bazar is located at the foot of the Garo Hills, very close to the Assam-Meghalaya region. If the railway connection had been established so far, it could have become one of the main transit and international trade centers of the Bengal region with the northeastern region of British India. This would have been the first tourist railway station in the region. It would have been a golden opportunity to go directly to the foothills of the Garo Hills, waterfalls and green nature right after getting off the train.

Once upon a time, the communication system was mainly centered on rivers, dirt roads and local markets. If the railway line had reached Langura Bazar past Jaria-Jhanjail, the foothill township could have been directly connected to the rail network of the greater Mymensingh. As a result, agricultural products, forest resources, local handicrafts and other goods would have had the opportunity to reach the larger market quickly. At the same time, goods and people from Dhaka, Chittagong, Khulna, Rajshahi, Mymensingh, Gouripur and other trade centers could also easily travel to the mountainous region.

In economic terms, such a rail link would not only create a station; it would also create the potential for new markets, warehouses, transportation hubs, bazaars, and small businesses to develop around it.

The partition of British India saw the accession of a large area of the Garo Hills and a part of the border land adjacent to Langura Bazar to India. This radically changed the geography of historical connections between East Bengal and the North-East. What had been seen as part of a larger regional connectivity system before partition became an area close to the international border after partition.

It is difficult to answer with certainty what role the railway line would have played in the subsequent border reality if it had been built before partition. However, it can be assumed that an existing railway infrastructure could have had a long-term impact on border economics, passenger traffic, administrative communications and commercial geography. On the other hand, after partition, the international border became one of the biggest practical and political obstacles to this railway potential.

If that railway had been implemented, perhaps Langura Bazar would not be just a border market today but could have become one of the most important rail-tourism gateways in Mymensingh. A new economic zone, tourist center, and commercial communication center could have been developed at the foot of the Garo Hills. So that map of 1915 is like an unfinished story standing before us today.

Even after a century, the communication potential of Langura Bazar and the foothills of the Garo Hills has not completely ended. Rather, that potential can be seen differently in the new reality. Today, the question of building a railway line can be linked to road communication, tourism corridors, eco-friendly tourism, border trade, preservation of local culture and regional economic development. If the natural beauty of the foothills of the Garo Hills, the culture of the local people, the potential of the historical Susang Durgapur and Langura areas can be brought under an integrated tourism plan, a new dimension can be added to the tourism map of greater Mymensingh.

Although that opportunity has been lost today due to the current geopolitical boundaries and inadequacy of the map, this historical document of 1915 reminds us how much potential a hill tourism center and commercial zone we have lost due to lack of planning and foresight.

The writer ia a journalist, writer, teacher, researcher and historian.He can be reached at 01745-213344