The great city of Bombay (Mumbai) has been my home for the past year and a half.
In a week’s time I would be moving out of this city and going back to Madras(Chennai), my home town. Even though I am completely overjoyed at this development, I am sure I would in more ways than one miss this amazing city. This has to be the most happening, lively and exciting city in the whole country. I have never been to Delhi, have seen only parts of Bangalore and Hyderabad , and while each of these cities claim to be the most happening place, I cannot imagine any other city giving out so much of energy and spirit that Bombay exudes. True, the city has its filth, its slums, it’s never ending traffic jams, pollution, hopeless infrastructure and much more, but it also has a spirit of joy, happiness and helping one another that is so infectious. Many cities call themselves as the city that never sleeps. That description would fit Bombay more than any other Indian city. Over the next few days planning to write about a few things about Bombay that I would miss…
First up, the Local trains
When I say I would miss the trains it is the experience of being part of the lifeline of Bombay that I refer to. Madras also has a suburban rail network but they are a distant cousin to Bombay local trains which defy any sort of logic. Unlike other suburban rail networks which may have a peak hour and lean hour, a busy sector and not so busy sector, a traffic intensive direction and otherwise, the Bombay local trains are as a rule, always full, irrespective of the day, hour and direction of the train( towards town or towards suburbs).
The sight of these beasts thundering into the station with people hanging out of the doors, some of them standing on the windows and many perched on top, perilously close to the ‘touch me - you die’ electric wires is one of the most unforgettable images for me. The agility that the old, the women and the impossibly small kids display in getting into a fairly fast moving train as it swims into the platform has to be seen to be believed. The joy and satisfaction that one gets when he is able to successfully squeeze into one of these packed trains and manage to get a seat is just unmatchable.
When people talk of New York they say that if you spend some time at Times square, you get to see people from all over the world. Along the same lines, if you travel in a local train for some time, you would get to meet people from all over India. One day I counted as many as 6 different vernacular newspapers being read by fellow travelers in just one small section of my compartment. That’s people from 6 states among a sample size of say 20. Truly National.
On the flip side, there also would be verbal duels, scuffles and fistfights many a time on the train as all the trouble of getting into the train, finding a place to stand and getting down at the right station get into people’s heads. Unless you are party to the duel, such fights make the journey more interesting, providing you some good entertainment.
I was lucky to be boarding the train at the origin station ( the7:34 am Vashi to CST local is my train) and so would be able to get myself a prized place near the door and hang out of the train with one half of me inside and the other outside. You may wonder as why I don’t get myself a seat if at all the train was originating from my place; the reason is that I have to get down at the fourth station and so if at all I sit down, it would be virtually impossible for me to dodge the crowd standing inside the train / the crowd waiting to get in at the destination station and get down during the 10 seconds that the train halts. By the time the train reaches the second station it would be filled to the seams with absolutely no space to stand even. At the station where I get down, there would always be a huge mass of people waiting to board this full train. To a new observer this would look like a task tougher than any of the ones that Hercules managed in his life, but what amazes me everyday is that, these people do manage to get into this train, which chugs on unmindfully to the next station to take in another chunk of people.
These trains for me are in more ways than one a true reflection of the city. They are always crowded but accommodative, even though they are not cared for they are dependable and trustworthy - there is a train to serve you almost 24*7.They are a microcosm of the country and carry on unmindful of the abuse, dirt and filth that they are subjected to.
Next up - Eating out in Bombay...
In a week’s time I would be moving out of this city and going back to Madras(Chennai), my home town. Even though I am completely overjoyed at this development, I am sure I would in more ways than one miss this amazing city. This has to be the most happening, lively and exciting city in the whole country. I have never been to Delhi, have seen only parts of Bangalore and Hyderabad , and while each of these cities claim to be the most happening place, I cannot imagine any other city giving out so much of energy and spirit that Bombay exudes. True, the city has its filth, its slums, it’s never ending traffic jams, pollution, hopeless infrastructure and much more, but it also has a spirit of joy, happiness and helping one another that is so infectious. Many cities call themselves as the city that never sleeps. That description would fit Bombay more than any other Indian city. Over the next few days planning to write about a few things about Bombay that I would miss…
First up, the Local trains
When I say I would miss the trains it is the experience of being part of the lifeline of Bombay that I refer to. Madras also has a suburban rail network but they are a distant cousin to Bombay local trains which defy any sort of logic. Unlike other suburban rail networks which may have a peak hour and lean hour, a busy sector and not so busy sector, a traffic intensive direction and otherwise, the Bombay local trains are as a rule, always full, irrespective of the day, hour and direction of the train( towards town or towards suburbs).
The sight of these beasts thundering into the station with people hanging out of the doors, some of them standing on the windows and many perched on top, perilously close to the ‘touch me - you die’ electric wires is one of the most unforgettable images for me. The agility that the old, the women and the impossibly small kids display in getting into a fairly fast moving train as it swims into the platform has to be seen to be believed. The joy and satisfaction that one gets when he is able to successfully squeeze into one of these packed trains and manage to get a seat is just unmatchable.
When people talk of New York they say that if you spend some time at Times square, you get to see people from all over the world. Along the same lines, if you travel in a local train for some time, you would get to meet people from all over India. One day I counted as many as 6 different vernacular newspapers being read by fellow travelers in just one small section of my compartment. That’s people from 6 states among a sample size of say 20. Truly National.
On the flip side, there also would be verbal duels, scuffles and fistfights many a time on the train as all the trouble of getting into the train, finding a place to stand and getting down at the right station get into people’s heads. Unless you are party to the duel, such fights make the journey more interesting, providing you some good entertainment.
I was lucky to be boarding the train at the origin station ( the7:34 am Vashi to CST local is my train) and so would be able to get myself a prized place near the door and hang out of the train with one half of me inside and the other outside. You may wonder as why I don’t get myself a seat if at all the train was originating from my place; the reason is that I have to get down at the fourth station and so if at all I sit down, it would be virtually impossible for me to dodge the crowd standing inside the train / the crowd waiting to get in at the destination station and get down during the 10 seconds that the train halts. By the time the train reaches the second station it would be filled to the seams with absolutely no space to stand even. At the station where I get down, there would always be a huge mass of people waiting to board this full train. To a new observer this would look like a task tougher than any of the ones that Hercules managed in his life, but what amazes me everyday is that, these people do manage to get into this train, which chugs on unmindfully to the next station to take in another chunk of people.
These trains for me are in more ways than one a true reflection of the city. They are always crowded but accommodative, even though they are not cared for they are dependable and trustworthy - there is a train to serve you almost 24*7.They are a microcosm of the country and carry on unmindful of the abuse, dirt and filth that they are subjected to.
Next up - Eating out in Bombay...
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