Nerve Endings Firing Away

Ash landed in Bombay on Sunday and we spent a quiet evening with her beloved Mamu-Mai and of course, the little brat Tanvi that I had heard so much about. Although she has a different haircut now, the resemblance between the two cousin sisters separated by almost 18 years is uncanny. I could sense her uncle and aunt examine me quietly without making it too obvious that I was under scrutiny. I was glad to find out that they were closely related to the renowned “public spaces” architect, P.K. Das. Although I would have loved to meet up with him, it doesn’t seem possible in this unexpectedly hectic trip.

Heading back to Khar, I finally got the opportunity to take the local train. Gosh! it had been ages and although, it was past 11pm the train was still packed with commuters. Maybe it was the new years crowds that had thronged the various temples around town. We Hindus seem to have the luxury of celebrating the new year multiple times in a year — Diwali, regional new year (Gudi Padva, Onam Vishu, etc.), and of course the Roman calendar new year. More the merrier seems to be the norm.

Anyway, back to the local train, it took me quite a while to get a ticket because in spite of several windows available, only one was operating. I thought this might be the norm but the several cuss words I could hear sporadically from people around indicated that this might be an exception. Considering that TCs rarely check for tickets, installation of ticket vending machines should be hastened. I see no reason apart from the cost of machines and installation (not much in the long run) for lack of such machines. They are pretty easy to handle and if people can navigate through their complex cell phones, such machines might be child’s play.

I was lucky to be traveling in the newer compartments which seemed like a recent addition to the network. Gleaming stainless steel bars and generally a cleaner look; but I was most impressed by the digital ticker/signboard that announced the next station accompanied by a
background voice. Now, this is truly the sign of infrastructural enhancement. Of course, Mumbai has the best local train network in the country but for a newcomer, it has always been a nightmare. Also, the fact that we liked to trump about the chaotic mess that the trains are didn’t help matters. The inefficiency was almost ingrained as part of Mumbai culture but I am glad to see things changing for the better. Now, only if they make it easier to find out on which side the platform was expected, travel would be less troublesome. Nevertheless, I enjoyed my ride back and was thankful to be spared the forever-gridlocked traffic on the roads.

Mumbai certainly owes its existence to the local trains and a look at the map of the networks gives you an idea of the great job it does of interconnecting the city; almost comparable to New York’s subway system. The ease of traveling within the city using the public transit certainly makes Mumbai a much more livable place than anywhere else in the country.