Metro!!!

Metro was always a fascination for me. When I first heard from my father that there were trains in Calcutta that would travel underground, it really caught my imagination. It was preposterous for me at that time. I had always since then wanted to experience travelling underground in a Metro.

My first chance came when I went to Delhi. I was so excited travelling in the Metro. It was getting rave reviews for the way it was. It bettered the oldest metro.Me and my friend wanted to travel around the city all by ourselves. So we prepared an impeccable itinerary with the nearest metro stations and the cost of tickets!!!

Everything was set and the D-day came where we travelled from Patel Nagar to Rajiv Chowk (previously Connaught Place). The dream became true. There was a moment of abberation when the train came over ground from underground. It was love at first sight. I was so fascinated by the metro that on the last day of our tour, we came from Amritsar to Delhi. We had our train to Chennai in the evening. So we had come to our guest house in Patel Nagar to rest instead of waiting in the station's waiting room. I travelled alone to Chandini Chowk from Patel Nagar just to travel in the metro one last time (though the Dhahi Balla and Aloo tikki we had in Chandini Chowk was lingering in my mind). I dint know when I would travel in the metro once again. It was June 2010.

I never expected I would travel in a metro so soon. I was deputed to Kolkata in December 2010. The moment my manager asked me if I would go, the first thing that came to my mind was Metro (and of course the Rasagola). Without a second thought, I said yes.

It was only in my second day at Kolkata, I had the opportunity to travel in a metro. On the first day, I directly went to my office from the airport and I was dropped at my guest house in the evening by a colleague of mine.

My love-hate relationship with metro started as i had the chance to take a closer look after my love at first sight. The morning travel to my office at Middleton Street was by the famous yellow taxi through the crooked lanes. In the evening, I was to take a metro from Maidan station which is just 2 blocks away from my office.

It was the real experience of travelling in a metro. Delhi was all cozy, the trains were air conditioned new ones. The time in which I travelled was not the busiest of times. This was the reality. My manager was there waiting to get into a train after missing three trains due to its heavy rush. He was born and brought up in this city and he had missed 3 trains before getting into the next train which required great physical effort. He had a laptop in one hand and shoved others on the way to get into the sea of people into which he vanished.

I was terrified. I dint know how I would travel everyday in such crowded trains. My experience with travelling in a public transport was very minimal. Then I missed 3 more trains to get into a train where I didn't have to shove people with my elbow to get in  but it was by no means empty.

The metro at peak hours is not for the faint hearted. Though you get help on one side, youl'll get the same volume of opposition from the other side.  A tide will try to get you in to the coach, but at the same time another tide will try to get out of the coach. Its really amazing to see so many people cram into such a small place. The beauty of the human body getting into a position of equilibrium is amazing. The way the head positions itself between two arms clinging on to the bar on top, the way the body aligns itself into a optimum pressure zone between bodies which pressurizes it from all sides and the way the hands cling on to whatever it can get hold off or in some cases it believes on the surrounding bodies for its stability. This is where we can fully realize and experience the adage 'United we stand, Divided we fall!!'.

The preparation that the locals do for a metro travel is surreal. I have seen girls bring flat shoes in their bags, change their heels before they get into the metro and then they get back to their heels when they are out again. I really have to salute the males who wear coolers and come out unscathed. I can only relate it to a famous Rajini scene where he gets a ticket for a movie with his shirt  fully drenched in sweat and with his coolers half naked. 

It was difficult in the first week. But then you get accustomed to  new conditions. Another beautiful human trait to adapt to its new conditions with minimum fuss once it knows it does not have any other better means. Once I got accustomed, I started enjoy my metro rides again. 

The way the trains gallops into the station and the way it tries to blow you away with the wind it generates with its speed and the resistance we give by gallantly standing beside with our hair flying, for it to stop and get in is a great feeling. The feeling of taming a violent horse creeps in when you get into the train, but when you see your fellow passengers you are grounded with a feeling that you are one among them and are no hero and life moves on......