Train and me

 Born in Bombay, raised in Mumbai, the local train travel is imbibed in my system. 


The adrenaline rush to catch a specific train is indescribable. Standing in the long queue to book a ticket, getting reprimanded by the railway clerk for not carrying change, brushing past sluggards who find railways stations idyllic and while time doing nothing, dodging pervert elbows, and then finally landing on the desired platform, was a sweet struggle, I lo


oked forward to every morning during college days. The entire struggle would find fruition once inside the train. Finding a seat was no Herculean task. Yes, one had to be lucky to find a window seat. But a seat to sit and enjoy the chugging on wheels was sure. 


I caught the same local everyday for straight six years. I made friends who shared breakfast and stories with me. Women of different age and personalities bonded. The 30 minute journey passed in a blur. On holidays, I could actually walk the length of a compartment. As a child, visiting Nani's house, I have even changed seats, bored of the same view. Occasionally, mom would buy a packet of chikki or wafers and my travel would be full of munching, and crunching, with sticky salty fingers being wiped by Ma. 


This luxury, no more exists. With me, the swarm of people in Mumbai have grown. Our locals are no more the comfort they used to be. I dread traveling by a local these days. Sprains, strains, and stains are sure to follow after a local journey. Yet, there are innumerable Mumbaikars for whom this mode of transport is a lifeline. They complain, quarrel, abuse, and later, rest their aching heads on the shoulder of the ones they have offended. That is how funny and fantastic the journey is. 


The other day, I decided to go on a local journey to one of my favorite spots in the city. Seeing the empty train, I was overcome with emotions. Like Govind in the movie Partner, I quipped, 'Itni khushi, itni khushi, mujhe Kashi nahi hui.' As if having heard my mental musings, a student doing her last minute homework, looked around and smiled at me.  A soft breeze blew and I drifted off to a peaceful nap. 


It felt like I was back in my old Bombay.

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