Nanhi si jaan in Mumbai

How can one devote a blog to Mumbai nd not write d 1st post abt d "Local Trains"......the lifeline of the fast paced Mumbai....which keeps Mumbai running.
For me also the local has been an amazing experience.....nd its not just me......almost every1 has sth or d other 2 say abt it......its used as an ice-breaker........a conversation starter..........nd everywhere........be it a paan-shop or a 5 star hotel.

So i'll also start by some of my experiences...nd its a kaleidoscope.......

I bought a 1st class ticket......."train mein bahut bheed hoti hain.....achhe se jayenge 1st class mein"......ye sab soch rahi thi to justify the Rs 104 tickets( 6 times more then d usual tics).......Well......3 trains had crossed infront of me nd i dint board it.....u know y??.....itna dimaag lagane ki jaroorat nahi......simply b'coz i cudnt find d 1sat class compartment.....so wen d 4th train came.....i quickly got into it, 2^nd class (wahi jiska fare is 6 bucks only)nd had to travel the whole way,standing......so much for the "comfort".

While returning I pledged I wont waste my 1st class ticket......ab to jo bhi ho.. i'll find out ki 1st class kaun si hai nd usi mein baithungi......well!!....to my luck(or bad luck).....i found d 1st class compartment..but nd its a big but......it was a male compartment.....nd fully packed......hehehe........bahut paisa wasul kiya!!

Yet another day......but d same local........aaj decide kiya.....ab to 2nd class se hi travel karungi......nd bingo!!!!......jab train aayi tab itna rush tha ki when i finally got into d local, i realised it was 1st class female compartment!!!

I was getting really confused!!!!!..........ye logon ko kaise pata chalta hai ki kaun si compartment kahan aakar rukegi.......must b some arrangement( as I m a tube light!!)......i asked my seniors at work.......nd finally d gr8 jumble resolved.......platform mein pillars are marked to show where d compartment will stop......d red striped ones are for 1st class nd so on.......bahut jaldi pata chala na mujhe!!

Talking of confusions….Mumbai is perplexing nd very very chaotic…….slums nd posh areas aise mixed hai ki its difficult to demark the two. Infact the 1^st view of Mumbai which I had when d plane landed was of slums!!........Neways….as if theres less things to confuse new comers….all areas have a common nomenclature…Dadar(E) nd Dadar(W) nd same goes for all……Bandra, Andheri …..but don’t thing that East nd West areas are close!! Waise Mumbai is verrrrrryyyy crowded nd platforms…..wahan to lagta hai, always koi festival chal raha hai…….it sometimes takes 10 min to come out of d platform only. I had shifted to Andheri(W). I had just got down fron d train nd was congratulating myself for descending safely(yeah……..travelling in Local is an achievement atleast for d 1^st month). After a struggle of 15 min I finally hit d road nd asked d auto wale bhaiya

“saat bangla chaloge bhaiya”

“nahi………..waise yahan se koi nahi jayega….aap Andheri(W) se auto dekho”

It was then dat I realized I was at d ‘wrong’ Andheri.

These are some of the harmless incidents………time for some tragedy…..buhuhu…

Just back from jamshedpur, where I had another nightmarish traveling experience( kabhi fursat mein bataongi….). By this time, I had become quite apt of traveling by train. Well!!.....somehow I was not able to get on 3 trains(hehehe…..will I ever become a seasoned traveller!!)….when d 4^th train came….as always loaded with ppl…d train started but I made a dash for it……nd yeah!!...i did get on d train safely but behold my Lord!!.....itni aasani se nahi…..i saw dat my friend cudnt get on d train nd then d grrr888 Smriti…got down 4m d train (jumped 4m d running train!!........as many of my friends said when they heard of it……..but I hate to put it dat way). Phir ??......phir kya……ligament sprain in left hand nd hospitals(injection, x-rays etc) ke chakkar….with the Mumbai police as my escort!!

There are many such incidents...........but if u haven’t been bored a lot nd still have d patience to read my posts...then.......wait for d sequel!!