Charubala is the controller of the Indian Railway.
Biography
Thomas & Friends
Charubala was first seen at a shunting yard when Thomas and Nia are heading to Sodor.
While Thomas was working on the Indian Railway, he followed Charubala's orders. One day, she introduced him to the Director of a Bollywood movie that was being filmed on the railway, as he had a job for him. She was later present on the set during the filming of the movie.
When Charubala told Thomas to collect and deliver a truckload of coconuts, he became lost at the Monkey Palace. When Thomas arrived at Varkala Railway Station, Charubala was disappointed that all the coconuts were gone and she asked Thomas to go and get some more. Thomas managed to get more coconuts with the help of the monkeys and he delivered the coconuts to Charubala on time.
Later, when Thomas and Rajiv were excited and wanted to take passengers on Noor Jehan's jungle tour to see tigers, she reminded them that they still had their own jobs to get done first. Thomas later brought her with a pair of police officers to apprehend two poachers that hired Rajiv to help them find and capture a tiger, but were lured into a trap by Thomas, Rajiv, and Shankar instead. She was very impressed with Thomas and Rajiv for helping protect the tigers, before sharing a laugh when it was discovered that Shankar had disappeared in the meantime.
Later, she comes to visit Rajiv in the sheds with Thomas, Ashima, and the others, having heard about his little mutiny over refusing to work without his crown, but although Rajiv apologizes for his failure to do his jobs and be Really Useful, Charubala also congratulates him for his heroism with saving Shankar when Noor Jehan was having trouble with her brakes, and returns his crown to him, fully polished and looking like new.
Some time later, she asked Thomas, who arrived early to Varkala Railway Station, to deliver some silk to a famous tailor in a distant part of the Indian Railway, providing instructions to Thomas on how to get there. However, when Thomas discovers he left the silk at the wrong station, Ashima suggests telling Charubala, but fearful of her reaction to his mistake, Thomas tries to fix it himself, but causes more trouble, until Noor Jehan suggests he tell Charubala about what happened. With little choices left, Thomas goes to tell her everything, and Charubala shows that Thomas had nothing to be afraid of, as she understands he messed up and should have told her sooner before things escalated. She assures him that with the support of the station staff, and her engines in Ashima, Noor Jehan, and Shankar, Thomas can fix everything. By evening, the silk has been recovered and delivered to the tailor, and everything else has been mended as well. Charubala congratulates Thomas and her engines for a job well done, before everyone shares a laugh when Ashima asks if anyone wants to go for a swim after hearing an elephant trumpet, as it was seeing some elephants swimming that caused Thomas to mess up in the first place due to daydreaming and missing his original turnoff.
Personality
Charubala is a kind lady and she likes taking charge of the Indian Railway however, when ever needed she can be stern, she once scolded Rajiv for not doing his jobs because of his crown getting lost and Charubala found his crown.
Attire
Charubala wears a white dress, a blue sweater as well as a purple scarf.
Appearances
Thomas & Friends
Specials
Music Videos
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Voice Actors
- Sheena Bhattessa (UK/US)
- Erina Yamazaki (Japan)
- Juana Saucedo (Latin America)
- Anne Hoth (Germany)
- Susa Saukko (Finland)
- Clara Rocha (Brazil)
- Olga Kuznetsova (Russia)
Trivia
- Charubala is the first female railway controller to appear in the franchise.
- Her name means "pretty girl" in the Gujarati language.
- Many news articles in September 2018 spelt her name as "Churubala".
| Locomotives | Ashima | Rajiv | Rajinda | Coran | Shankar | Noor Jehan | Abiar | |
|---|---|---|
| People | Charubala | |
| Locations | Real Landmarks | Varkala Railway Station | Taj Mahal | The Monkey Palace | Surajpur | Jaipur Junction |
| Fictional Landmarks | Indian Railway Shunting Yard | The Indian Beam Bridge | The Indian Paddy Field | Indian Railway Sheds | Indian Bridge Over Tunnel Runby | The Indian Mountain Railway | The Indian Desert | The Elephant Lake | The Indian Station | |