Many say that trains are a microcosm of India, snaking their way through various regions while carrying passengers from diverse social groups. But does the idea of India change from one coach to another, from station to station? 

Amid the Lok Sabha poll campaign, five Newslaundry reporters – Anmol Pritam, Tanishka Sodhi, Priyali Dhinga, Pratyush Deep and Shivnarayan Rajpurohit – journeyed across several states, asking passengers the same set of questions.

Should policies in India be Hindu-first? Is Ram Mandir an election issue? Has India become the “vishwaguru”? What do democracy and secularism mean to you? And the three best things that happened in India in the past five years?

What they learnt wasn’t just a window into voters’ views, but also the Indian polity. 

Watch.