"Pudheel station bhandup"......"Agla station bhandup"....."the next station is bhandup".....announced a pleasant female voice on the public address system....this went on for kanjurmarg, vikhroli, and all the stations on my early morning trudge to work from Mulund to Currey road.
No, haven't been to Shangai yet. But have heard these announcements on the London Tube.....Even as Londoners continue to read their newspapers and magazines or stay glued to their cell phones...or to the music on their I-pods, these announcements combined with LED displays all-around the compartments subtly remind them of the next station.
A change maybe for us Mumbaikars too...didn't have to crane my neck to the closest window to try and catch the place or the station that's just passed; or even have to ask the passenger next to the window, "bhaisaab, kaunsa station thha" ("Sir, what station did we pass just now..? ")
Yes, the train was equally crowded as is, generally during the peak 09:44 morning hour. But no one was complaining....or was it just the first day blues..? Each person just letting their eyes wander from roof to floor.
Steel bars separate sections in a single compartment. Iron upper handles have been replaced with solid steel ones to offer a solid yet cleaner hold. The breadth of overhead luggage rack seem to have been deliberately reduced to dissuade commuters from carrying heavy and larger luggage.
Even as this (first time) novelty on rails move from one station to another, we notice more and more people getting in. The rills being replace by aluminum close-knit ones offer a good view combining it with more safety too, especially for the passenger sitting near the window. We gradually notice that this train has just gotten a tard more crowded than usual. Guess, the novelty factor combined with general curiosity has attracted even the commuters waiting for the train after our's to take this one today.
And as the train reaches Ghatkopar the number of commuters gradually increase....."Bhaisaab aage badho na..!...Doosre logon ka bhi tho khayaal karo (Please move forward friend consider the problems of others too..) said a voice from the back. Used to the three (or atleast two) people standing in-between the seats. We did move forward...but with great difficulty. Sorry my friend, the leg-space has been reduced to just about allow two individuals to sit face-to face....but then you could squeeze yourself in if the person sitting is a tard short.
But then again, this means more space in the galley. The bigger windows with polycarbonate look out glass, bright LED's the steel finish, the solid floors, the powerful fans and the superbly ventilated compartment overall leave me with a good feeling. Surprise, I'm not even sweating as I alight at Currey Road station.
I take a glance back at the train as well as the commuters still hanging out of the doors...there still is the push and the pull...the cat calls as well as the hurry to reach their destination. But in the midst of it all, I also saw a smile on each face. Or did I..? I do not accurately know....but then again someone once said...when You smile....you experience a smile coming from everyone around. Thank you MUTP and the Railways...I smiled my way into office today..!!
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