Jul 13, 2006 04:02 PM
4106 Views
Of late it has been very easy to sit in my plush air conditioned office oblivious to the happenings of the outside world. I have company-provided to and fro transport, so I am not dependent on Mumbai's otherwise fantastic public transport system. My only point of contact to the going-ons outside is the 42'' Plasma TV, gracing the hued cafetaria wall. And this time too, it has been my source of information to make me aware of the terrible serial blasts that rocked Mumbai's suburban trains on July 11 '06. The first thought when I saw the breaking news was, "I could have been in one of the trains."
Its not been forever that I have been enjoying these comforts that life has offered me. Until a few months back, I was a regular traveller of local trains, not to mention an ardent one as well. I have sworn by this mode of travel, extolling its virtues of quickness and efficiency to any individual wanting to navigate the length and breadth of this city. So what, if the trains are cramped to capacity, filled with anxious, over zealous people who want to reach their destination on time! So what if the trains dont provide a luxurious travel as there are fellow communters clinging around your neck just to get a square inch of standing space! So what if you have to fight your way inside the train even if you hold a valid ticket! As Mumbaiites, we have not attached so much importance to luxury as much as to convenience. It is a way of life of this city, and rightly so will always be!
For its citizens who lead their life by the clock, closely scheduling their waking and sleeping hours by the time of Mumbai's western and central railway locals, do any number of explosions dampen the pace of their scurrying lives? Perhaps for a day, but not for long. Here it is a battle for daily survival—not for food or water or money but to reach our college, office or home on time in order to prepare for yet another day.
How else would you explain the fact that merely four hours after the serial blasts, the western railway services were partially resumed, and many, including the sufferers took the train yet again to reach their destination. Are we a bunch of crazy folks wiliing to take risks time and again, or have we become immune to the shock treatments metted out to us year after year? So much has been said about the spirit of Mumbai and its lifeline that by now these terms sound cliché to the ears. What we forget is that here it is a matter for survival of the fittest, and only the brave moves ahead, even if it means taking that dreaded, over-crowded 5.58 pm local from Churchgate every single day.
As for me, I guess I have moved ahead. All I can do is sit yet again in my plush air conditioned office and find some time to write about Mumbai's never ending spirit and lifeline.
