ABSTRACT
The theme of transport infrastructure has long been treated as a footnote to the social and economic history of South Asia. In making a plea for treating transport infrastructure as a crucial component of these histories, this chapter also questions the current imbalance in the existing set of studies on Indian transport history. The glare of modernity has inadvertently led to a proliferation of research on the railways, which has indeed opened new dimensions in studies of time, travel, and social identities in recent years. A general, holistic picture of transport infrastructure is not possible, however, if the theme continues to be approached in a ‘segmented’ manner. Future research will make our understanding richer if roads, river transport, and railways are studied together in their relationship to ecologies, labour, technologies, economy, and changing practices of mobility.
