I've been a resident of this, amchi Mumbai since around the end of 2002, so I've dedicated a decade of my existence to this "Maximum City", "land of Bollywood dreams", "financial capital", "Metro City No 1" or whatever other names we denizens may choose to call this by, fondly or otherwise.
In all these years, my preferred mode of toodling around this benighted (and betrayed - by its leaders, politicians, bureaucrats, administrators, whoever) town has been, mostly, by my very own car. A humble Maruti 800, to begin with, imported from blissful Goa during my early days in Mumbai. That wonderful, trusty car has, since, gone back to Goa and, last seen, was still tooling along, unhurriedly in the wide open spaces there. In the years intervening I've gone through a couple of cars more and, perhaps, ought to begin the search for my next chariot sometime soon. But that is another story.
Unlike most Mumbaikars who depend on the famed "locals" of Mumbai, honestly, in these many years since 2002 I would have perhaps traveled by/on them not more than a dozen times. Including one memorable journey, circa 2003, when I tried (momentarily successfully) to impersonate Rajnikanth, hanging from the foot board of the local from Andheri to Bandra (en route to Mahalaxmi).
Empirical evidence does, indeed, prove that it IS possible for the average Mumbaikar to stand - quite comfortably - on the foot board of the average local train (back in Chennai where I hail from these trains are called, quaintly, EMUs, by the way), with just a mere 7 square inches of foot space and the last phalange of just three fingers of one hand. I confess, I am not the average Mumbaikar. I am alive, this day, and typing this (with the last phalange of two fingers, one from each hand, by the way) solely and exclusively because a group of average Mumbaikars who shared that sever square inches (each) alongside me, on realising my plight, promoted me to "Uncle" and, in that spirit of generosity for which Mumbai has been acclaimed, pushed me deeper into the confines of the coach and to safety.
Anyway, the point is, in the 11 years that I've been here, I've probably traveled on the local trains perhaps 12 times. Venkatesh Prasad has a better batting average than this? And, recently, last month, I'd been to that other city that pretends to be a rival to Mumbai. New Delhi.
Capital city. Big. Broad. Brawny. Brash. Boorish.
Was there for one night, two days. And I traveled. From Gurgaon to Connaught Place (Rajiv Chowk, oops!). From Rajiv Chowk to Dwarka Sector 347 (or whatever). Back to back - two evenings. By public transport. Like any average Delhiwalla. (Is there an "average" Delhiwalla? They're all outstanding chappies!) On their famed Delhi Metro (OK, OK, I know, the Bongs and the bhadralok had it first, in Calcutta).
And I came away IMPRESSED. No sarcasm here. Not an iota of it! What an experience?!! I was simply blown!!
I was like John Keats "On First Looking Into Chapman's Homer"...I felt like some watcher of the skies when a new planet swims into his ken.... and I gazed and gazed and I wondered...
If Dilli can do it, what the eff is wrong with Mumbai? WHY oh WHY can this not be done here??
The comfort! The space! The frequency! The fabulous network crisscrossing NCR from Gurgaon to NOIDA and all across! The sheer affordability! The cleanliness. The discipline!! The speed! The crystal clear information announcements (next station, which side the platform would come, everything!!)
Do we really NEED to wait for a new Mumbai Metro Rail to be inaugurated (God knows when?) in order to enable human beings travel as human beings? Why is it not possible to make over the existing network, the existing rails and coaches?
Honest to goodness, if Mumbai can go and get itself a rail service that can match Delhi/Kolkata, I sell my car! I travel by train. I become an average Mumbaikar.
Until that day..... who? Me? Mumbaikar?!!!
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