A Mumbai Local Story

 

16th AUG'16

It just happened.. don't ask me how or why or when. Some questions are better left unanswered. What's important is that it happened. I fell in love with Mumbai and the madness that the city offers. I was a hardcore "Dilliwali". But I am neither from Delhi nor from Mumbai. Both these cities are my adopted homes. Delhi was my home and Mumbai is my home now. While I continue loving Delhi and the idiosyncrasies I fell for Mumbai too. Just don't ask when and how. That I can't answer. Then why this page in my diary? Because just the other day something happened and it stirred my heart strings..again!

 After a hard and long day at work I got into the train at Churchgate. It was slightly pass the "peak hour" and hence the Ladies first class compartment had only 2 passengers. I and another lady. I sat on a coveted window seat and looked around. A little boy, an urchin, was fast asleep in one of the seats. I mean the whole seat meant for 3. I kept looking at him. So peacefully he was sleeping. He should have been in his home to the safety of the bedroom. For once I thought should I wake him up before the train starts. He must have got in to the train when it was coming to Churchgate. Now it was getting ready to leave Churchgate for Borivali. Then looking at how sound asleep he was I decided not to. Slowly the train moved out. One after another the stations came and the compartment started getting full. No one woke him up. Everyone was sitting. Usually at Lower Parel the compartment gets fully packed. I thought now he needs to get up. But before we crossed Mumbai Central I dozed off.

 

When I woke up the train was entering Malad station which is just 2 stations before the final destination Borivali. The compartment was still crowded. I looked towards the seat where the boy was sleeping. With so many ladies / girls standing, I could not see it. I thought someone must have woke him up and he must have got down in one of the stations. As the train moved out of Malad, the crowd got slightly lighter. I turned towards the seat again. There he was..still sleeping! I could not believe my eyes. That meant no one woke him up all this while. After a tiring day at work, all these women got into the train, hoping to find a place to seat and just close their tired eyes. I witnessed quite a few catfights in such crowded trains. But today all these women came standing, letting the child sleep. I looked around the compartment, to everyone. I realized I was grinning. Few ladies smiled back. Suddenly I was so happy even after a long day at work.

 

That evening I fell in love with Mumbai; once again!