Midnight shopping
Published by Yazad Jal May 30th, 2005 in BombayAfter a great cartel meet and some ok dinner (pizza and biryani can never pass off as gourmet), I set off for home from Gaurav’s place in Kalina. Kalina, that quaint suburb between Santacruz and Kurla, was where I trudged to for two years of my life as I struggled with a Masters in Economics in the University’s Vidyanagari campus. I used to travel via Kurla, on the unfashionable eastern side, as it was faster and the train dropped me closer home.
At 12:15, the autorickshaw bumped its way along. Wait. This road looked eerily unfamiliar. It was narrower and filled with the rotting carcases of junked cars. I saw a concrete python looming ahead. Aah, the Santacruz-Chembur link road. Construction seems to have started, but why do we always have to create chaos on the surrounding roads? It was difficult to get through past midnight. I wonder how traffic passes during the day. And has anyone ever thought of the economic cost of traffic jams?
I let those thoughts fly past as the auto moved towards Kurla station. The desolate landscape opened out onto what seemed like a bustling market. At 12:30 am? I checked my watch to be sure. I even asked a passer-by for the time. Yes 12:30 am. And there were around fifty vendors on the street outside the station selling everything from mangoes to plastic handbags. And there were buyers. Not only men, returning home late, but also families–women with small kids in tow. 12:30 am. Bombay rocks. Cheered up by this great exhibition of life in the city, I bought my ticket and went over to the platform.
Exuberance at 12:30 am extracts a price. The train was full. With barely any standing place. Where in the world would you see a suburban commuter train filled to the gills well past midnight? I stood for more than half the way, humming Ay dil, hai mushkil, jeena yahan / Zara hat ke, zara bach ke, yeh hai Bambai meri jaan
I’ve posted earlier on the buzz at railway stations past midnight. But this was the first time I had to stand, and that too in a cramped position!
Aadisht seems to have had some fun as well on his return trip last night.
Lyrics of Yeh hai Bambai meri jaan for those who want more to hum.
Somehow I don’t think that the cartellian who left with me and Aadisht, who shall remain unnamed for reasons of personal dignity, had much fun. Two possible Mid Day headlines that almost came into being:
1] Dog attacks Libertarian OR Cartellian loses leg in auto
Said cartellian, being rather well-built, was sitting in rickshaw with one leg coming out and going to the front, where the driver sits. Driver reached chowk,needs to turn. Two dogs are in the way. Instead of honking, he rushes at them. They barely manage to get out of the way, and then run after the auto, barking madly. Auto-driver slows down. From the other side of the seat, I turn and see this: said cartellian thrusting his leg forward and saying, “jaldi chalao, jaldi chalao”, while every couple of seconds a dog’s head enters the frame, trying to take a bite of said cartellian’s leg. Eventually we speed up. Said cartellian escapes unscathed.
2] Libertarian dragged to death by auto-rickshaw
We drop Aadisht at Santa Cruz station. As Aadisht is sitting in the middle, said cartellian has to get off. The auto-driver thinks both the guys are getting off there. Said cartellian is about to get back in when when he accelerates off. Said cartellian, holding the bar, manages to acrobatically spiderman his way in (to coin a verb). All ends well.
Phew. Much fun was had. More.
-Where in the world would you see a suburban commuter train filled to the gills well past midnight?
1. Tokyo
2. Osaka :)
M.
the economic cost of slow traffic movement on roads and railways is as follows: if one person makes 60 people wait one minute, he has wasted one man hour.
millions of man hours are wasted in india: that is, LABOUR is wasted by government political parties that swear to run things in the interest of labour.
further, B-schools do NOT study PRODUCTIVITY. the first B-school was started by frederic winslow taylor in wharton in the 1920s. taylor and his associates studied PRODUCTIVITY. they pioneered “time-and-motion studies” and created the GANTT chart.
in india, B-schools existed in the heydays of indian socialism and have mushroomed these days. but there has never been a systematic attack on the LOW PRODUCTIVITY of our transport system (from slow roads, slow trains, slow ports and slower airports) from B-school faculty and students.
the TOI edit today (31 june) says over 1800 people died on the streets of the capital in 2004!!
Said Cartellian doesn’t worry about dignity.
Truly, though, Dogs dog me. Not till death I hope.
Yaz, Bambai meri jaan happens to be my favourite song too in Hindi.
Singapore.
I think the only reason said Cartellian didn’t try to bite the dogs back is that he’s a vegetarian. Otherwise he’s a vicious, vicious man. :)
Hi,
Coming soon to Mumbai … “The Monsoon Menace: The Revenge of the Pit”..
See my blog for the entire post.
http://booletpoint.blogspot.com/2005/05/monsoon-menace-revenge-of-pit.html
Sorry guys,Not contributing to this discussion. but I have a few words for this ‘jayesh’ guy…dude back off..what the hell has happened to you.You have sprayed your cheap advertising on all the blogs. Get a life dude and work the hard way..
Hi Yaz,
Just stumbled across your blog. I am not a blogger myself, love to read them. And your’s……very refreshing.
Left Bombay a few years ago and your post just reminded of all the times I travelled alone in local trains. Never feared even in the middle of the nite. Gosh!! I miss Bombay.
Keep writing. I can live vicariously thru you.
Ani