Things I miss about the Mumbai local train!!!

It has been over 4 months since I last took the local train. And strangely, I find myself missing the journey of the local train, our Mumbai's lifeline.

It’s past 8:45am as I make my final run to the platform just in time to catch the train. Running up then down the footover bridge, dodging and pushing my way through the platform, I finally make it to the Ladies’ compartment of the 8:54am CST Fast. As soon as I hop in, the train pulls out. I breathe and look around. 

Every day, about 7 million people take the train to get to work and home. Seven million people have a love-hate relationship with trains. I am one of them. But the last three months have been quite different. Forced indoors by the COVID pandemic, initially, I enjoyed the fact that I didn’t have to face the wrath of locals morning and evening. But now, with signs of recovery still in the distance, I’m finding myself longing to make at least a trip on the train.

Here’s what I miss about Mumbai local trains:

All the snacking... 

Hungry or not? You have only seconds to decide, since these vendors aren’t going to be on the train for long. After a long day at work, it doesn’t matter what oil the samosas are fried in or how the bhel is made—this is comfort food that signals the end of the day.

And all the shopping

The Ladies’ compartment is like a pop-up store on wheels. You can buy everything from cut vegetables, to churidars, hair clips, make up, earbuds and even churan. I miss buying fresh vegetables for my mum. And I miss the surprise deals you’d get: 12 lemons for Rs20 is quite a steal!

The fights on the Mumbai local

It’s unpleasant if you’re in one—but who hasn’t been entertained by a train fight! These span all barriers of decency and decibels. This is the time you take off your earphones, pause the music and focus on the fight. These fights can also be a great source of knowledge: you learn new words in different languages.

Lessons in Martial arts

While the train journey sounds quite straightforward, getting in and getting out requires a great deal of precision. You may not want to mess with aunties who have been travelling by trains since before you were born (also a popular dialogue in train fights). You must secure your belongings and grab onto anything that you see in front of you— purses, dupattas, hands, hair… and push with all your might! If you are successful, you will be on the train. If not, there’s another next set of purses, dupattas, hands, and hair coming along.

While alighting, don’t forget to ask the person in front of you if they want to get off at the same station as you. Here’s how it goes: tap the shoulder of the person in front. if they don’t turn, tap harder. When they turn, ask them “Thane?”. If they nod, you’re good. If they say no, you have to wiggle your way in front of that person and repeat the process till you get a nod. No one teaches you these things—you just learn, as animals do in the wild. 

The best seat in the train

Everyone has a favourite seat on the train. And most often, it is the one that faces the direction of the train and has the bigger window and does not have the sun. That seat is the hotseat of seats. You rarely ever get it, and when you do, you cherish it a lot. After three months locked indoors, I will cherish it a lot more.