Do you know what it takes to be a true Mumbaikar? If you ask me, a masterclass in travelling in local trains!
Also called as the lifeline of the city, Mumbai locals hold a special place in every Mumbaikar’s heart. The fact that one travels miles in locals to work every day proves how unimaginable life would be without locals.
1. “I found it odd people asking out which station I will de-board train at. I thought how rude people are “Abhi to baithe bhi nahi aur utarane ka puchh rahe” Lmao! Later I became pro at getting seats.”
2. “This happened three days ago. I was travelling from Belapur to Thane at around 5:30 pm. The coach (1st Class) was mostly empty. This bloke had brought his own plastic chair, which he placed near the door and sat on. What made it even funnier was that there were 20+ empty seats in the coach.”
3. “Someone farted just before the parsik tunnel after Thane and it was so bad that everyone had their noses pinched as the compartment lit up again after the tunnel. They were saying stuff like “aey kaun paada re?! Usko border pe bhejo”, “kaun chanaa khaaya.?!” Guess we’ll never know who it was with the silent killer farts.”
4. “So this one time while going to college in my usual train out of nowhere I fainted standing in the passage. And the funny part is when I regained consciousness I was lying flat on the floor of the train with everybody leaning over me with concern on their faces. I still don’t understand how I manage to get enough space to fall flat on the floor in a jam-packed train during peak hours.”
5. “One time I guess it was Thane, the train about to reach the platform. I was near the door and some uncle from the back shouts “chalo thane aaya chalo bhai” I shouted back “Platform aaya nahi bhai patri pe hi kud jaaye sab?” After a burst of giggles, nobody said anything until the station hit.”
6. “My friend and I were in Mumbai for some training. We were new in the city. We were travelling from Andheri to Churchgate. There was a long queue at Andheri station for tickets and we were already running late so we decided to travel without a ticket (coz dekh lege) at Churchgate station some guy in uniform asked my friend “hey! ticket?” to which my absolutely nonchalant friend replied- nahi chahiye bhaiya.”
7. “Two office going folks were talking about their friend and how they don’t get to talk with him now because he went abroad and the time difference and stuff like that. An old man was sitting next to them and asked about it. He did not know about time zones. These two men started explaining about how the earth revolves, sunrise sunset, eclipses, time zones, etc, and the interest with which the old man was listening was amazing.”
8. “Travelled a few times between Dadar and Churchgate in 2018, luckily never witnessed the crowd that everyone talks about.”
9. “A guy once asked me if I like listening to music. On saying, “yes”, he shared with me the song he composed. It was not so good :p but I complimented him that it was really good and he should continue pursuing music.”
10. “Not funny but wholesome; was travelling in the first-class compartment in the afternoon, a police officer boarded the train. Along with a bomb squad doggo. He even let me pet the labrador. 13/10 train ride, would definitely wanna experience it again.”
11. “While traveling through Mumbai locals anybody else gets attracted to the abandoned railway tracks and trains and becomes curious to know where it leads to? Cause I get fascinated when I see old locomotives.”
12. “Taught one uncle how to use gesture/swipe typing back in 2013/2014. He saw me type with a swipe keyboard and truly thought of it as black magic. He asked me what I was doing. And I explained and helped him set up that keyboard on his phone. He seemed genuinely excited to type like that. Never saw him again on that train.”
Read: From Salaam Bombay To Wake Up Sid, 12 Films That Captured The Spirit Of Mumbai.
