Mumbai Local - A small journey!

 

Traveling by Mumbai local trains can be very boring and stressful during peak hours...the rush, the madness, the mini & major fights to get the best seat and many more incidents will force a person to think whether it is actually necessary to travel!  But then, Mumbai Locals are not called the 'Life line' of Mumbai just like that. Well, I am not going to give any statistics of how many passengers it transports everyday or the number of trains that ply on the Western, Central or even Harbour lines or how deftly the timings are maintained to reach from point to point & many many other details - but would love to tell you that even a boring journey becomes a lot more interesting when one starts observing and becomes one among the crowd!

Please click on the photographs to view them in full size.

As the train zooms past...

Today, I had to run on a small errand at Churchgate, hence took the 8.54 am local from Borivali and tried to enjoy my 1hr 10 mins train ride.  Of course, I had my faithful friend along with me, hence the journey was all the more interesting!  Friend, who talks through it's lens!

The much needed support, when one travels.

A novice or a first time traveler would certainly be in awe of these Mumbai locals.  The speed, large crowds don't make it easy for him or her to travel comfortably.  But the regulars are experts in hopping into the train and also manage to get their regular seats.  

When the train had stopped at Mumbai Central Station.

If inside the train, people are busy, the platform also is full of life throughout the day. Today was  comparatively a calm day. May be the weekend feeling had already set in or was it that people were still recovering from the Navaratri celebrations which ended just a couple of days back!!

The colorful stall provides for some refreshments to the travelers. 

It is interesting that strangers become friends on these locals, people do their work, many travelers listen to music, some read novels and a few students also gaze through their textbooks and ladies chat endlessly till they arrive at their destination.  But the most intriguing sights are watching some swift business happening on these locals - especially in a Ladies' compartment.  One can see a lot of hawkers selling varied items. One can buy from pin to plane (I mean, not literally but then almost anything under the Sun) in that short journey.  Some of the regular items sold inside a ladies' compartment are - Handkerchiefs, fancy jewelery, clothes, pens, credit card holders, purses, colourful hairclips, pins, other hair accessories, perfumes and also some eatables!!

A lady selling bangles made of Pancha Loha (literally meaning "five metals" - an alloy)

On my journey back - watched these ladies complete their job
as they talked about this and that with a smiling face.

It's not just always business, some even finish their job and get ready for the actual business when they alight from these local trains.  Well, why waste the time siting idle while traveling - we can always use it productively? That is exactly what the ladies in the above picture were doing.  They had bought the flowers from Dadar flower market and on their way back were stringing the flowers and making lovely gajras, to be sold later in the evening elsewhere. Oh, they were very comfortable squatting on the foot-board of the train and working with a smile on their face.

I had reached my destination - Churchgate, but the time spent in the train was rewarding! 

At Churchgate Station - Passengers alighting from the train.

I waited eagerly for all the passengers to walk away and leave me alone in the compartment for a while!  It's not the first time I was traveling in a local.  Generally, even I would dash out of the compartment like all the other co-passengers, but this one time, I waited.  Oh, the feeling really was weird when I was there alone for a few seconds...the bustling compartment suddenly looked eerie! 

When the compartment was empty...well almost! :)

Could not sit there all day and click photos, right?? I was there for some work, so I better move, I thought and hopped out of the train!