It will be suffocatingly monotonous at times and yet surprise you everyday, it will constantly push you forward and yet hold you like it's own,it won't ask you your name but will remember your face ....a million heartbeats reside here,survive here.live here..die here and fondly call IT 'Amchi Mumbai'.
No, I cant explain this city to you in a few words..I am too naive for that,I am just one of that crowd who doesn't belong here but has felt Mumbai's warmth, to the extent of its sweat!
Here's just how one day...Mumbai welcomed me,pushed me,hugged me,grabbed me,threw me and in the end patted my back for having made it alive :)
I have heard a thousand stories and a million experiences about Mumbai local trains,but had never really experienced the real journey.Every time I tell people that I have been to the city quiet a number of times,the first question that pops up is,"have u been in the local" and I always wondered that I have traveled in the ever so infamous DTC buses n no. of times,how different/bad could this possibly be??(Now i laugh at myself for having compared the two).So i thought ..big deal....lets do this!.Took a couple of directions,and with a little jabbing from here and there which was as good as walking in the clouds by Mumbai standards,i got into the local,which was going from some place to Andheri.
I didn't get a place to sit,hence i declared it crowded.My bad!
I proudly completed my journey and walked up to one my frnds ,acted a bit fagged out but not exhausted and casually said....
"dude..i traveled in YOUR local train today...it was damn crowded....but i did ok...no big deal"
With the end of that sentence I was about to take a bow for my accomplishment....but nobody seemed impressed.
"Crowd!! at this hour...and on dis route....u gotta be kidding me!" and they giggled at my slapdash attitude of not understanding the nervous system of this city.
In the next few minutes i was told a couple of ground rules
1.if you can see through the train....it is NOT crowded at all
2.if you are in control of all your body parts...it is NOT crowded.
3.if you are able to get off at the station that you intended to...it is NOT crowded.
Second attempt.
This wasn't intentional...but i guess someone up there granted me this one trip to fill up the lacunae in my consume..once and for all.
Considering the number of people on the platform,I was already jittery about what was about to follow.I did a bit of warm up,some stretching followed by some self motivation and while i was still in my 'ready steady' mode,the whole population of Mumbai appeared from everywhere and pushed me to 'Go'.
Cannot see through the train...check
So I was inside,not that I had a choice.I had a bag on my shoulder...and carrying luggage with you in the peak hours is CRIME...mind you, I repeat Crime!!
Now there is a magical expectation,that as soon as you get on the train...either you should get down at the very next station or magically fly(coz moving/walking is practically impossible) to some place where you and your rejected luggage would cause minimal hindrance.
After having being abused from all the four sides,the lady standing in front of me clearly read the baffled expression on my face and said "Push me hard...so that you can move ahead".Those were the rules of the jungle i guess.Although I did more of falling on her than pushing her,she passed it on...and the chain reaction took me to some place where I could breathe the amount of oxygen required for survival of a non-Mumbaikar.
Not in control of all your body parts ....check
There should be a warning like on cigarrette packets "Travelling in mumbai local could be injurious to health" or atleast some special demo sessions should be held for the first timers,where you could go in a simulator of some sort,I wish I had a health insurance before I got in...with all those slew of thoughts juggling in my mind,I heard the lady next to me ,asking each and every 'seated'(pichle janam ke punya honge)passenger about their destination,and booked her seat accordingly.
I was pleasantly stunned by this concept of 'booking your seat' and how religiously people followed it.No matter how far you are from your booked seat , nobody else will take it ,out of respect for this unsaid regulation.
I cannot imagine this happening in back in Delhi by any chance ever.
Now with the weirdest names on earth that places in Mumbai have, like Dombivali,Kandewali,Borevali etc...I somehow figured that my station was next and although ,i had my research in place, but I forgot the basic convention,that one should start moving towards the Exit atleast two stations prior to one's destination.Any effort now would have been futile...so I stood there comfortably(yeah..I could move both my hands,it was luxury!) and got down at the easy option...the last station.
Not able to get down at the station you intend to ...check
Finally I succesfully completed my 'mumbai-certified' experience.....peace!
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No, I cant explain this city to you in a few words..I am too naive for that,I am just one of that crowd who doesn't belong here but has felt Mumbai's warmth, to the extent of its sweat!
Here's just how one day...Mumbai welcomed me,pushed me,hugged me,grabbed me,threw me and in the end patted my back for having made it alive :)
I have heard a thousand stories and a million experiences about Mumbai local trains,but had never really experienced the real journey.Every time I tell people that I have been to the city quiet a number of times,the first question that pops up is,"have u been in the local" and I always wondered that I have traveled in the ever so infamous DTC buses n no. of times,how different/bad could this possibly be??(Now i laugh at myself for having compared the two).So i thought ..big deal....lets do this!.Took a couple of directions,and with a little jabbing from here and there which was as good as walking in the clouds by Mumbai standards,i got into the local,which was going from some place to Andheri.
I didn't get a place to sit,hence i declared it crowded.My bad!
I proudly completed my journey and walked up to one my frnds ,acted a bit fagged out but not exhausted and casually said....
"dude..i traveled in YOUR local train today...it was damn crowded....but i did ok...no big deal"
With the end of that sentence I was about to take a bow for my accomplishment....but nobody seemed impressed.
"Crowd!! at this hour...and on dis route....u gotta be kidding me!" and they giggled at my slapdash attitude of not understanding the nervous system of this city.
In the next few minutes i was told a couple of ground rules
1.if you can see through the train....it is NOT crowded at all
2.if you are in control of all your body parts...it is NOT crowded.
3.if you are able to get off at the station that you intended to...it is NOT crowded.
Second attempt.
This wasn't intentional...but i guess someone up there granted me this one trip to fill up the lacunae in my consume..once and for all.
Considering the number of people on the platform,I was already jittery about what was about to follow.I did a bit of warm up,some stretching followed by some self motivation and while i was still in my 'ready steady' mode,the whole population of Mumbai appeared from everywhere and pushed me to 'Go'.
Cannot see through the train...check
So I was inside,not that I had a choice.I had a bag on my shoulder...and carrying luggage with you in the peak hours is CRIME...mind you, I repeat Crime!!
Now there is a magical expectation,that as soon as you get on the train...either you should get down at the very next station or magically fly(coz moving/walking is practically impossible) to some place where you and your rejected luggage would cause minimal hindrance.
After having being abused from all the four sides,the lady standing in front of me clearly read the baffled expression on my face and said "Push me hard...so that you can move ahead".Those were the rules of the jungle i guess.Although I did more of falling on her than pushing her,she passed it on...and the chain reaction took me to some place where I could breathe the amount of oxygen required for survival of a non-Mumbaikar.
Not in control of all your body parts ....check
There should be a warning like on cigarrette packets "Travelling in mumbai local could be injurious to health" or atleast some special demo sessions should be held for the first timers,where you could go in a simulator of some sort,I wish I had a health insurance before I got in...with all those slew of thoughts juggling in my mind,I heard the lady next to me ,asking each and every 'seated'(pichle janam ke punya honge)passenger about their destination,and booked her seat accordingly.
I was pleasantly stunned by this concept of 'booking your seat' and how religiously people followed it.No matter how far you are from your booked seat , nobody else will take it ,out of respect for this unsaid regulation.
I cannot imagine this happening in back in Delhi by any chance ever.
Now with the weirdest names on earth that places in Mumbai have, like Dombivali,Kandewali,Borevali etc...I somehow figured that my station was next and although ,i had my research in place, but I forgot the basic convention,that one should start moving towards the Exit atleast two stations prior to one's destination.Any effort now would have been futile...so I stood there comfortably(yeah..I could move both my hands,it was luxury!) and got down at the easy option...the last station.
Not able to get down at the station you intend to ...check
Finally I succesfully completed my 'mumbai-certified' experience.....peace!
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OMG!!! U survivedd!! Kudos Mayuri :) and what an hillarious and awesome writeup explaining the journey .. And as a typical Mumbaikar .. I proudly say ... "WOH TO KUCH BHI NAHI THAA :P " ... haha ..awesome !!
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