Punit Dawda

Almost it’s 2 years now that I am a regular customer of trains, almost everyday I travel in train.

What I feel Indian trains are very moody they come on time or sometimes they don’t, sometimes your regular train comes half empty or sometimes there is no place, sometimes announcement happens that 12 compartments train is coming at platform number 2 finally it’s 9 compartment. Trust me its fun for few moments you see 1 min hush-hush.

I have usually seen while traveling in train in peak hours,

while waiting for a train or

while just boarding the train or

while getting down from the train people start thinking or talking with their friends or colleagues or day to day traveling friends that nothing is going to happen to mumbai its getting worst day by day or this government is just not doing what they have to do or every politicians are corrupted xyz. But these talks just remains for few minutes & what I have started believing after couple of years travelling that we enjoy these talks, it doesn't last long may be 5 mins or till the time person goes in his personal comfort zone.

As soon as the person gets into his personal space he goes into his thoughts.

There few things people do in this wonderful Mumbai Trains.

There are few types of archetypes you will meet in the train

1.     Talking maniacs: 

n       Some will start talking about what happened today in the office.

n       Some will start the everlasting hot topic called share bazaar.

n       Some will have topics related family or society.

n       People who don’t know each other, almost starts with the current situations like:

                          i.      Aaj kuch zyaada rush hai na or

                         ii.      Aaj train late hai na

2.     Thinkers:

n       Straight face, tired body, looking at one thing, doesn’t have any emotion on the face, standing quite doing nothing. God knows what they must be thinking, there can be only two possibilities one is positive thinking or negative thinking. What I have observed I go with negative thinking.

3.     Involvers

These kinds of people get themselves in something or the other:

n       Some will start reading newspaper or any book.

Person next to him is also involver he will start reading the same news paper what the other person is reading. May be he is reading some other news or the same news but he will be pissed off for sure once the paper is turned to next page.

n       Everyday some or the other person fights or rather argues with somebody. Over here these guys love to get involve in these argument they will be forward player to trigger the other person, for an e.g. it can be like forget it boy let it go or it can be boss its completely your mistake. It completely depends on the situation to situation & person to person.

4.     Routiners

n       Some will involve themselves in cards, these kind of people has their x particular train to catch on y particular time. They meet in the train without uttering a word they start with their old game. In the morning they had left it na.

n       Some are Indian Idols they have their gang and they meet in x particular train till their stop comes they go on singing bahjans. They sing whole heartedly and has amazing tune.

n       There are some kinds of people who know on what time they have to climb in the train, trust me they know the trick to get into the jam train.

5.     Oldies

n       There are these old guys who are pre decided where they want to stand they will enter the place and want to go to that same place where they are comfortable in standing.

n       I don’t understand one thing why old people catch these peak hours trains may be they have to reach somewhere but what’s the hurry they can’t be late for some time and catch less pack train. They get in these pack trains and are scared of these crowds that something will happen for sure if they don’t behold them tightly. So in that they turned themselves in so bloody strong way that it’s very difficult to stand besides them because they will not get hurt but the person who stands besides him for sure is getting hurt.

n       There are some other old jerks (I am sorry to use such kind of word but I think so they deserve to be called a jerk) if you say anything to them they think that you are arguing with them & straight away they will shout on you. Few days back I was in a train and one guy next to me told this old uncle that please if you can go little inside so everybody can stand properly, this jerk started yelling on this guy there is no place where should I go, you come here and stand and see, where should I go, should I sit on your head. I was completely annoyed looking at this. Strange right, imagine if there is one guy like this in every train then how many mad people are roaming around.

n       One more story on these old jerks there was one guy who was standing few steps away from the corridor and I was standing right behind him. The train was completely packed. This guy was perfectly standing on one place but ahead of him there was some place empty where one person can fit entirely. So from back I told this guy to go ahead and stand because I was little uncomfortable behind due to lack of place and if would have gone little further and stood there would be good place to stand for him as well as for me also. He told me to go and stand there and gave me space to go, I was shocked why he did that, I went and stood at that place but I wanted to see he went behind or not? He was standing where he was standing earlier he didn’t move a bit also. Then my curiosity lead me to ask him that why he is not moving behind, the answer he gave me was amazed me, I don’t want to go do you have any problem in that.

He fall in the archetype of routiner oldie & talking maniac, he was with a colleague or a travelling friend.

He asked me do you have any problem if I am not going behind, if you want to go behind then go again. Seriously I laughed on his face & thought this is guy’s a crack pot. I told myself its good to be quite and not argue but my mind wanted to know why this guy is not going back when there is place & after few moments I came to know that he was standing beneath the fan i.e. why he didn’t wanted to move. Kool shit na, this type of character you will meet every now and then.     

6.     Outliers

n       Outlier is majority a routine guy he wants to go with the train but he has an allergy to get into the train. He will be outside near the door on every station he will get down to allow people to go & then again they will stand in their actual place. Usually there are 4 to 5 people standing in that zone & in that the best place to stand is the first place (First in the direction where the train is moving) The second guy who is behind him will always be ready to jump to that place as soon as he moves out.

That place is awesome once I had a privileged to stand there it was amazing wind blows on your face, there is no hush hush to move around & if your station come you are the first one to get down. Whenever you travel try and stand in that area it’s simply awesome experience but be careful. (Hold your hand tight to the side rod and be vigilant) and if you want more fun then try to occupy someone’s place when he gets down at the station to allow people to pass.  

In the end I would like to say these are my observation in the first class compartment of Mumbai trains, I strongly believe names of these archetypes can differ but characteristics will be more or less same & if your thoughts are not matching my thoughts then I would like to say apne apne nazariye ki hai baat, padh the rahiye Punit Dawda ka Ultaa Chasma ;)

If I come across some other archetypes I will surely add them but till then this is it.