Naveen's Journal , 15 Apr 2009, Mumbai

[Taken from my visit to Mumbai one month back where, for the first time, I felt the essence of local trains to Mumbai's everyday life]


April 15th, 2009 - Woken at 9:00 AM by the sound outside of mumbai. Disturbed to find I had fallen asleep without removing the dress i wore last day. Feeling a bit heavy more than i thought. Need to be more careful.

Had to go to Andheri East to get my BOSE headphone fixed. Then to Nariman point to my bro's office. Feeling terrified at the thought of the job to do for the day.

Reached, somehow, to the nearby station - Mansarovar. Don't know how to reach Andheri. Left to me was standing a Gujarati. Asked him about the route to take. Very much helping guy - spent his whole life since childhood using the locals. Even left one train to accompany me. Never thought the men in India's Financial hub have so much leisure time. Couldn't find people having time to even look in eye to eye until now. Need to be more practical in my judgements. Maybe he being the rare exception living solitarily in the fast-flying , out of reach busy city.

Alone travelling in the train, after that guy's stop came and he left. My body in touch with bodies surrounding me. No one is complaining. Very much hot inside. No one is complaining. Normal life to all of them. The world looking so much congested and concentrated to me. Slight increase in the mercury and we shall all be dead. This relentless world: there is only one sane response to it. No complaining and silence, together with serene hot air, touching the water of our body and transforming to cold breeze. Mind adjusted to the situation but my body not ! Waited eagerly for my stop to gain exemption from the relentless situation. Influx dominatined the efflux at every station. Situation deteriorated ....Looked all around. All but me are alive. No complaining. Normal everyday life for all but me!

At last, my stop came. Fighting like a warrior to get out at the stop. Rememberd all manga and animes in a flash. Everyone like me, fighting for a single and same end - to leave the local. With my stop , everything came to halt. Heard stories about this all time from well wishers. Never believed. Can concur now with no hassles.

Got my job done at Andheri. Entered the same hell again to reach Nariman....there is no escape , that being the only sane route to terminus . Can't concentrate. Too tired. No sleep or rest since morning..Closing my eyes to rest. The suroundings going blurry....