Mumbai ka Local...Yeh kahi aur ka nahi....

When you talk of Mumbai, the foremost thing which comes to mind is local train....the city's lifeline. Yes the Mumbai Local Trains which are world famous. These run in abundant here & are the prime source of convenience. Mumbai local trains are so famous; they are respected for their timings & are considered the lifeline of this huge city. The number of passengers who travel by local train is brainstorming. When you see a local plying on the subarban tracks with jam-packed people, you feel like the whole city has come out for an exploration. You again feel amazed by the sheer crowd all breathing into each others body & so seemingly adjusting to each others composure. Human beings appear like bunch of insects heavily packed.
Yes this was the initial feeling I used to had when I first started commuting with local train & always wondered what a pathetic way to lead life here. Always thought the biggest problem in Mumbai is to travel by a local train. Again at the same time I realized, without it, the city cant survive. Thats a fact. You get to see a real India inside a local train. You get provoked of your thoughts inside a local train. This inspired me to dedicate one entry in my blog solely for the Mumbai local trains.
Ok, for 2 years I have travelled on the Central line from Vikhroli to Dadar. That was about 20 mins odd journey each side everyday. So everyday for the 2 year period I spent 40 mins in local train. After the morning shower & in gentle professional attire, I used to leave for office all in fresh mood. Then arriving at the station & gazing at the time-board to look for the approaching local. Me & my then roomate Gurchet hardly used to miss the 9.23 AM FAST local from Vikhroli.
Many a times we were late by 5-10 mins, but it was contending when after reaching the station, the sweet & loud voice of the lady announcer would convince to all passengers that the local too, is late & is due arriving. That we thought was the greatest message of the day. We were so delighted & always used to thank the faithful 9.23AM FAST local who never betrayed us.
It was a like a bond the local had developed with us & we were too delighted by the timing service it offered to us. We were all praise to her & never ever boarded any other local, except when sometimes it was cancelled.
The local was faithful, no doubt, but me & Gurchet were pretty obsessed by the number of passengers is used to carry. We always contemplated why such a huge crowd boarded the same local as us. We pitied them.
Once getting into the local in an already packed compartment, the next thing was to fight an appropriate & comfortable position to get into. While Gurchet had mustered the art to get into the local as the firts person & hence occupy a comfort zone, I always thought its best to stay near the main door to get the fresh air, hence used to board last. It was good to stand at the door, but mind you it was risky too, because the compartments are already heavy packed & the locals ply at high acceleration. Nevermind, after a year of experience I preffered the corner side.
Hey, just a minute, there is a brawl between 2 people out there, one person is accusing the other that he had pushed him & that he has no manners how to stand in public. The argument gets heated up & both start abusing each other. It was quite fun to watch the scence, because you now, its just a war of words; people hardly get into physical action in local train, unless the situation is some exception. The rest of the spectators would ask both passengers to calm down, as these things keep happening in crowded locals. Both would be unconvinced & would frawn at each other. That becomes just a part of entertainment for the rest of the spectators. Shuuuu... & your destination station is to arrive next, & now you must arrange yourselves into another 'line' for getting down from the local. You always ask the fellow next to you if he is too alighting at the next station, otherwise, you politely ask him to excuse & give you way. The train halts at station in no time & you have inadvertently pushed the fellow in front of you, feets away on the platform. Everyone then starts running to reach a spacy zone ahead, because the next moment the platform will be full of crowd with no space for feet to adjust. You again experience Real Mumbai.
Once out of the platform, the entire freshness is washed out & you realize your morning office attire has turned into rough look, with the ironing of the dress all faded away & your dress is crumpled into a smothered paper to be thrown in the dustbin. But you are happy, you managed to reach office on time. :) You say thanks to the local train & happily walk away speedily in delight as if you have won some battle this morning.
This is the routine of an everyday commuter in Mumbai.

Cheers
Bhola