Abstract
Howrah, Calcutta's main railway Station, is more than just a significant source, transit point and destination for people. It is also the refuge and the living place of a crepuscular society, composed of different people who have been abandoned somehow, and who are living in and around the station's concourse. The focus of this essay is to present Calcutta's railway station, as a microcosm of the Indian society, and a context where the assessment of religious duties and human rights is very complex. It is difficult to determine the subtleties that distinguish influences and reactions arising out of a junction between religion, social belonging, practices and beliefs. But, I argue that today, in India, the language of duties is still more important than the language of rights. Through a brief anthropological description, I would like to introduce the different characters of the scene in terms of their social belonging, their lives, and their interaction. I would like to demonstrate West Bengal's efforts to find solutions that could improve these peoples' condition. But I will reflect upon the ambiguous applicability of the secular laws of the state of India, by highlighting some issues where the law is not always respected or applied, despite efforts made by the government.
