Recently, I traveled by India’s first monorail from Chembur to Wadala. The platforms were spick and span, the coaches sleek and air-conditioned and the journey smooth and punctual. Yet, I didn’t feel happy. There was something missing. I racked my brains finally found the missing link.

20140319_115157  I am used to traveling by local trains in Mumbai. The adventure begins while joining the masses climbing    the stairs and not so gently pushing forward to reach the platform. Next is the struggle to find space on the platform to sneak forward avoiding the dirt and filth. Once the already overcrowded local train rolls in, those who want to get down fight a fierce body to body battle with the mob trying to get in before the train halts. Passengers hang out like overripe mangoes on the branches of a tree. Even then, those still unlucky to be waiting on the platform struggle to find a place to just place their toes.

The monorail stations, in contrast, appear desolate. A few souls wander around listlessly. The train arrive silently, the doors open, two or three alight and even less get in, the doors close and you find plenty of places to sit in air conditioned comfort.    20140319_120316

The doors of the local trains do not close automatically- in fact most of them do not close manually either even as the combined might of several people attempt to yank them shut during heavy rains. The train starts moving even before many of those who wanted to get in are still on the platform. A few brave souls then run after the train extending their hand for support even though the ones inside are literally on their toes. I have often, even while hanging out, stretched my hand to pull them inside. This is not because of my helping mentality but because of the fear, that if I don’t, they would anyway try to grab and even drag me out of the train.

While I was inside the monorail compartment, standing and enjoying the view outside, I would often lose my balance as the train negotiated a curve. This would never happen in the local train as the crush crowd capacity would not leave any space to fall. The real struggle was to keep the mouth closed to avoid tasting the unwashed hair of the gentleman (?) in front. When you need to alight at a station, you slowly inch forward, trying to estimate the number of people likely to get down.  This is crucial because if you are wrongly positioned, you might find yourselves landing at the wrong station forcing you to get back in. On the other hand, if you are way behind, the impatient crowd at the station rushes in forcing you to retreat and miss your station. You need Plan B. For example, you could consider jumping out from the opposite side or positioning yourself right behind the man with the huge fish basket. If you come out smelling of fish, consider it as part of the risk.

It is only in local trains that you can get the experience of standing for two hours in a queue to buy tickets for a one hour journey. Sometimes, you hone your risk taking abilities by avoiding buying tickets and nonchalantly walking past the TC. The monorail does not have any queue to buy tickets and neither can you avoid buying one as you would not be able to even enter the platform.

IMG_3184While these scenes play out on a normal day, the situation that develops when trains are long delayed due to heavy rains, mechanical troubles etc. are best left unwritten.   The monorail works with clockwork precision, day in and day out. However, there are signs that things are changing. It was reported that during the recent BEST bus strike, the Mumbai Monorail suffered its first technical snag, leading to disruption of services for a while. Looks like I might enjoy traveling by monorail in the future.

 

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One Response to Monotonous Monorail – Travel Story

  1. sekhar chandrasekhar says:

    suresh,

    delightful!
    enjoyed the poker-faced comments; the ‘less is more’ style writing; the home-style humour ~ casual, surprisingly hard-hitting, yet unassuming. looking forward to a lifetime of addictive just yarns:)

    the william dalrymple of monorail writing:)

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