Comfort and discomfort...

It was maddening weekend. Till 10 at the advocate's office and then my office on Saturday and again till 9 pm at the advocate's office on Sunday. I thought of taking a train from Chatrapati Shivaji terminus (CST) to Chembur, thinking that there might not be crowds at that time, being a Sunday. I took a Panvel local train, which passes via Chembur. Got a seat. With ladies milling in at the immediate next station (Masjid), I got up and offered my seat to one (Chivalry? you bet!).

(image source: www.news.rediff.com)

Then the madness started. Crowds started pumping in at subsequent stations. I couldn't stand. People were jostling for space. Pushing back and forth. No handles to hold. Sweat and stink. An eye on my purse and another on my mobile in two of my trouser pockets (pickpockets abound, have lost stuff myself), I managed to bear this ordeal till Chembur came. Then the crowd spat me out.

At the end of it all, I was left wondering - how did I manage all this, day in and day out for seven years?

I used to travel from Kalyan to Nariman Point and back - 65 kms one way. Then from Sanpada, New Bombay to Nariman Point, when I shifted my house and later to Kurla, when my office shifted to Bandra Kurla Complex (BKC). I remember, getting in and into a train at Kurla used to be a nightmare. Once, while getting into a local train to Badlapur (passes via Kalyan), I was thrown out of the train. Literally! Thankfully, I fell on the platform. Another instance saw me break my specs. I had switched to contact lenses after that. There were other issues too, but that for another post. The only advantage was that train travel was cheap and fast.

After a transfer to Madras, the two and four wheelers were the only modes of transport. I got used to a comfortable travel life. Now back in Bombay, I am unable to relate to the train life I had once experienced, day in and day out. Today I would be content to drive down whatever the distance is. No matter how much time it takes. I do use buses, but few and far between. Guess when you get used to certain comforts and can afford them, it is difficult to go back to a life of discomfort.

Thank God for making me afford those!