FIGHTING IT OUT ….

(This is my final post in the series of posts for travel in Mumbai local train. This is a sequel to my previous two posts given below. Read them first to get the real gist of it.)

By now the coveted 4^th seat owner has woken up from his self-imposed meditative state as indicated by his countenance. What ruptures this "Samadhi" is the worldly thought of his reaching the office and his destination soon arriving. This sixth sense alarm surpasses by far the best of quantum clocks in its precision. He gets up early with the hope of out-witting his fellow station contemporaries, competing with him like the flows of Ganga and Brahmaputra for the Bay of Bengal. But a look at the narrow exit is enough to break his delusions. So what was once "Optimism Personified" trying to get a seat is now for a moment "Disheartenment Restructured".

With hopes dim, yet the will of a Karma yogi, he sets off towards the exit for which there is no paths left to tread on. A path search through this dense clutter demands the strength of Bhima, the accuracy of Arjuna and the treachery of Shankuni. Did I ask too much from a single being? But the Mumbaikar does it everyday. What really calls for a pity here, however, is the futility of preventive actions taken by the office-goers to protect their polished shoes from this mini stampede.

Our battle-hardened traveller somehow does manage to align himself with the mouth of the exit again remembering the sugarcane crush, the agony of which is escalating with every passing inch. As the destination draws near, the compression due to the pressures acting on him from all sides starts squeezing out even the last iota of fat from him. This is probably the reason why most Mumbaikars do not need to follow a strict fitness regime. What really deserves a word of praise here is the steely determination of the people leaning out of the train, preventing thIS human volcano from erupting prematurely.

However, as the train finally nears the halt, the determination gives vent and the human volcano erupts with shouts as loud as the human ear will ever hear. This tumultuous flow shows no mercy to any ignorant dreamer in its path trying to obstruct it. He has no option but to involuntary accept the fate dictated to him. Mr. Feynman would surely love to use this as his explanation for Newton's First Law, "You remain at rest or in uniform motion at the mercy of the force acting."

With just out of the train, for a moment he does think about the uselessness of ironing his clothes and polishing his shoes every morning. However, the time is too short to permit him any further introspection. It's time to catch a rickshaw or bus to reach the office though exhausted and with a hope to relax a bit…So begins the day !!!


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Chetan Bhadricha

Kabhi na rukti, Chalti jaati ,
Yeh Bharat ki shaan ,
Yeh hai Mumbai , Yeh hai Mumbai ,
Yeh hai Mumbai , Meri Jaan