Once Upon a Frame

Flagged off in late 1968, the ‘Putani Express’ has created core memories for generations of Bengaluru children. Its tiny coaches have rattled past giant rain trees on dappled afternoons as well as drizzle-dampened twilights.

For around six decades, it has faithfully circled a nearly one-km stretch of Cubbon Park. ‘Putani’, meaning little in Kannada, was never merely a name — the train itself was a child-sized stand-in for wonder.

The 8-10-minute loop, once powered by diesel and now electricity, offered many Bengalureans their first experience of railway travel. Even after shutdowns, cracked tracks, and restorations, the little train endures, faithfully chugging away.

Once Upon A Frame is a new monthly column that revisits Bengaluru through then-and-now photographs, pairing archival images with frames from the same spots today. From vanished facades to surviving street corners, readers are invited to send in old photographs, memories, and suggestions for places they would like us to revisit across the city. Write to [e-mail]