I have preconceived notions about most things. These are not only from personal experiences but also from hearsay.
My notions about crowded buses at least some specific ones and crowded men' compartment in the Mumbai local train were conditioned on pure hearsay; still I thought they were best to be avoided altogether.
I have said earlier in my blog that I love surprises.... seemed to be the theme of that day. I was travelling with one of my many nephews by train. It was his first trip by Mumbai local train and he was quite excited about it. In Mumbai, most of us time our trip to the minute as per the train schedule. And we needed to get to Nerul station so there were two changeovers and hence not a minute here and there.
I don't know if this happens to anyone else, but with me, if I have such a hectic schedule then chances are quite high that something totally unplanned happens which almost kills my schedule.
That fateful day, it was heavy downpour and lack of rickshaws. To meet the planned schedule, we got into a crowded bus... unfortunately one of those specific ones which was on my 'to-be-avoided' list. So, there I was with a very defensive posture ready to kick and snarl at any guy who threatened to be a pest. What happened next was a complete contrast to my stance.
The guys tried to make place in that overcrowded bus to allow me to reach the seats in front which are reserved for ladies. My nephew trailed behind. Now, in one of the seats reserved for ladies was a couple... I presume this of course from the fact that the lady was fussing over this man who had a bandaged knee and ankle. Surprisingly, he got up from his seat as soon as he saw me to allow me to sit. Ya, I am in my defensive stance but making that obviously ill man stand would be offensive on my part. So, I told him to stay put and was rewarded with a weak smile.
At the station, I am appalled to see the huge queues and curse my luck, that I had forgotten to put my ATVM Rail Card in my purse. I am mentally rescheduling my trip all the while being angry at myself.... so I could not have been a pretty sight. The guy in front of me turns around and says "Madam, why don't you go over to the ticket window specifically reserved for Ladies. The queues are much shorter there". I was kind of in a bind wondering whether all those angry thoughts had not been in my inner voice as I had presumed. Still I thanked him and went over to the said window and got our tickets in under 5 minutes. The best part was that we could manage to get the train that was part of my originally planned schedule.
My nephew was adamant on not travelling in Ladies compartment and I did not press him. But that meant, I had to travel with him in the crowded Men' compartment. Oh dear!!
My personal experience that day was far better than I had experienced in the Ladies compartment. I got to sit in the train (first two legs of our journey) and there was no pushing and screaming. I listened to the men discussing the latest news from finance to entertainment; why I even saw some guys playing some card game using one of their briefcases as the table. The rest were on their smart phones utilizing the 2G/3G networks to the hilt.
By the time, we reached the last leg of the journey from Thane to Nerul, I was sure that I was going to have to remove my rose-tinted glasses from my pleasant experience till that time.
My notions about crowded buses at least some specific ones and crowded men' compartment in the Mumbai local train were conditioned on pure hearsay; still I thought they were best to be avoided altogether.
I have said earlier in my blog that I love surprises.... seemed to be the theme of that day. I was travelling with one of my many nephews by train. It was his first trip by Mumbai local train and he was quite excited about it. In Mumbai, most of us time our trip to the minute as per the train schedule. And we needed to get to Nerul station so there were two changeovers and hence not a minute here and there.
I don't know if this happens to anyone else, but with me, if I have such a hectic schedule then chances are quite high that something totally unplanned happens which almost kills my schedule.
That fateful day, it was heavy downpour and lack of rickshaws. To meet the planned schedule, we got into a crowded bus... unfortunately one of those specific ones which was on my 'to-be-avoided' list. So, there I was with a very defensive posture ready to kick and snarl at any guy who threatened to be a pest. What happened next was a complete contrast to my stance.
The guys tried to make place in that overcrowded bus to allow me to reach the seats in front which are reserved for ladies. My nephew trailed behind. Now, in one of the seats reserved for ladies was a couple... I presume this of course from the fact that the lady was fussing over this man who had a bandaged knee and ankle. Surprisingly, he got up from his seat as soon as he saw me to allow me to sit. Ya, I am in my defensive stance but making that obviously ill man stand would be offensive on my part. So, I told him to stay put and was rewarded with a weak smile.
At the station, I am appalled to see the huge queues and curse my luck, that I had forgotten to put my ATVM Rail Card in my purse. I am mentally rescheduling my trip all the while being angry at myself.... so I could not have been a pretty sight. The guy in front of me turns around and says "Madam, why don't you go over to the ticket window specifically reserved for Ladies. The queues are much shorter there". I was kind of in a bind wondering whether all those angry thoughts had not been in my inner voice as I had presumed. Still I thanked him and went over to the said window and got our tickets in under 5 minutes. The best part was that we could manage to get the train that was part of my originally planned schedule.
My nephew was adamant on not travelling in Ladies compartment and I did not press him. But that meant, I had to travel with him in the crowded Men' compartment. Oh dear!!
My personal experience that day was far better than I had experienced in the Ladies compartment. I got to sit in the train (first two legs of our journey) and there was no pushing and screaming. I listened to the men discussing the latest news from finance to entertainment; why I even saw some guys playing some card game using one of their briefcases as the table. The rest were on their smart phones utilizing the 2G/3G networks to the hilt.
By the time, we reached the last leg of the journey from Thane to Nerul, I was sure that I was going to have to remove my rose-tinted glasses from my pleasant experience till that time.
We entered the compartment which was literally packed to capacity. I decided that the smart thing to do would be to stand in the aisles
away from the door so that the chances of being pushed were lower. The train was just leaving Thane
station when two men got up and were looking at us intently. I am filled with dread, my hands are clammy and a thousand thoughts on how to fight and what to
do crosses my mind... but I am still indecisive on my next step.
The guys urged us to sit down in their seats
comfortably and that they would let us know when our station was due to arrive.
Huh!!! My brain seemed a little befuddled. I wondered whether it was a trap. My
nephew did not seem to think so and he sat down in one of the vacated seats. He seemed surprised at my reluctance. The
men were still smiling and urging me to sit down in the remaining seat… I mean even
a nanosecond of hesitation could cost you the seat in a Mumbai local but none of
the other men rushed or pushed past me to sit there. I sat down and through that
40 minute train ride, I found those men to be extremely civil... protective
even.
Though I never let my guard down even once during any point of that day, I could not help but wonder whether I should not have any preconceived notions on hearsay.
And last, I wish I had taken photos of all these men who had been so kind and thank them on Facebook as people generally do. Unfortunately, I was so busy being surprised that frankly it did not occur to me at all. I hope I thanked them personally at least.... I think I did.
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