I don’t remember the last time I travelled by the local trains in Mumbai! My pleasant memories of train travel with friends, obsessing over Saathiya, seem to be a thing of my previous birth!
As the trains got fuller, I got into a relationship with NMMT. I preferred standing at the busstop cursing my poor timing and praying for the bus to come! That being said, I’d rather die waiting for a bus than get into a crowded train only to get pushed and squished by ladies with tempers running wild. It is at such times I feel humans have elasticity properties!
After all the struggle to get in, if you do manage to fetch a seat for half your derriere, you’ll get bummed out(pun certainly intended) with the question “kidhar?”. Some even do away with the word. When poked you’re expected to tell them your destination. Pretending to sleep won’t save you from these ladies who wouldn’t think twice about waking the dead if that could get them a seat! 😛
I’m a lady with a hot head and little patience. Also, I can’t say I’m familiar with the mind blowing abuses that get exchanged in a ladies compartment! Hence, the bus!
Turns out that today I had no choice but to travel by the train, not one but three!!
Thank Heavens, the day decided to go easy on me! I settle for a comfortable spot by the door to stand watching the lush green pastures fly by and the incessant drizzle lightly kisses my face. The title song of Saathiya plays on my phone(no coincidence) and I blush pink like an idiot in love-land! Cliché but that’s how romance works!
The next leg of my journey brings me back to Mumbai! I push myself into the crowded train, grab a place to stand and I use my ballet skills to avoid the short lady’s hair from going into my nose!
Probability of getting a ‘PASS’ result in CA exams is higher than getting an auto in an urgent situation! I yell at two fellows at the top of my voice and just as I am about to have another fit, the fourth guy agrees. Mind you, I’m not against all the Auto/ Taxi waale. It is only the bunch of sour rotten ones that I’d like to eliminate!
Some days aren’t all that bad and today is one of them! I’m going to take the risk of returning home by train, hoping the journey will be as good as the morning one.
Well, that’s Mumbai and we love it for what it is and we will continue to!
P.S. Dear husband, just because your wife is crazy and obsessed with Saathiya, there is no reason for you to tell me “Don’t look for a Vivek in the other train!” 😀
C.A.: Confused Aquarian 