New Delhi, Sept. 26 -- On a nippy, grey December morning in 2024, I joined a motley bunch of strangers at Bengaluru's Sangolli Rayanna Railway Station for a trip to four colonial-era railway stations on the Bengaluru-Kolar line, organised by the Bengaluru chapter of the Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage (Intach), a non-profit that works to protect heritage. Laid around 1915 by the British, the line was a thriving commercial conduit but the stations had run to seed over time, until Intach stepped in four years ago and began restoring them with the help of local businesses and communities.

Over two hours, we hopped off and on to see the results of the restoration at Dodjala, Devanahalli and Avatihalli stations. All three ...