The 4th seat….

I am sure all my Mumbaikar ladies friends who travel by the local train will understand and relate to what I am going to be writing.

It was a Friday evening and I was in a happy weekend mood. I usually take the bus to reach home, which is definitely an ordeal of 1.5 hours. After the metro has come, it has definitely improved commutation within Mumbai. So, of late I have been using the swanky metro to commute from office to home. Well, talking about the metro, it is definitely a “paisa vasool service”. The nice seats, air conditioned environment, the type of crowd-everything about it has a feel good factor to it. But, after the 8 minute metro ride, comes the difficult part – the awfully crowded amchi local trains.

So, coming back to what happened on Friday. As usual after the metro ride, I got out at Ghatkopar station and was rushing to get the local train. I realized that all the fast locals are getting delayed due to the rain. I decided to board the slow train, which goes to Thane, assuming that it wouldn’t be that crowded. Lo Behold! I managed to get into the Thane local.

This particular journey was one of a kind and that is why I decided, I will definitely write about it. I have to get down at Mulund which is the 5^th station from Ghatkopar ( hardly a 20 minute journey in a slow local).I usually prefer to stand ( preferably by the door). But, on Friday I was pushed inside. With my heavy bag and a wet umbrella, pushing through people managed to reach inside.

 

Rules of Mumbai local (second class ladies compartment):

1.       Be careful whenever you are in a ladies compartment.  However crowded the train is, you are not supposed to push or stamp someone. In case you do, be prepared for the shower of wonderful words.

2.       However small your hair is, never leave it untied or uncovered. You will often get to hear comments like “ baal bandna nahi tha, to first class main chali jaati..”

3.       Seat reservation is very common, if you are part of train group.( same set of people whom you travel with every day, in the same train and then you start celebrating occasions, you begin to have your own group)

4.       Make sure to ask for a seat, in case you are standing.

5.       Seating rules- It is a shift system. Ideally, three people can sit comfortably and a 4^th person,sits rather fits in quarter of their butt and sits sideways. The next person who gets a seat, will have to sit in the 4^th seat and others will shift in one place.

I have been in Mumbai for the last 7 and a half years and I have now mastered the rules of travelling by the local train. While in the Thane slow local, I was barely managing to stand on one feet. I had not booked my seat, but when it was Kanjurmarg station, 3 ladies got up. 3 others had already blocked their seats and there was nobody for the 4^th seat. But, it was awfully crowded. Until the train halted at Bhandup, though the 4^th seat was available, could not get to sit. Finally after all this, I managed to sit, actually fitted  small part of myself.  It was wonderful feeling. More than getting to sit, the feeling of “ I managed atleast the 4^th seat” is wonderful, especially for me, cause, I don’t dare to sit usually. I don’t know why but kept feeling a great sense of achievement.

Now why this story and what I learnt from it:-

Often, in life, we stay in that comfort zone for too long and don’t dare to take the risks when we ought to. After we grow old, we feel, we should have done this, done that. No point repenting. I am a kind of person who believes “Live each day and take life by the stride”. You achieve, only when you dare to dream. In case on seeing the crowded local train, I had backed out- I would have reached home late and I would have not got the honoured opportunity to sit. Like many others I could say “ ye gayi to doosri aayegi”.. but for how long? How long will we keep missing opportunities, keep waiting? I dared to take the risk of getting into the train and I also managed to get a seat. Similarly, in life, never let go of golden opportunities. Grasp them as they come and perform to your best. You never know.. where you will land up someday!!