#MetroDiary 35: Kaleidoscope in the Delhi Metro

My 6 year old nephew in a faraway country thinks kaleidoscope is the "perfect" invention and a very important one at that. My journey in the metro is no less than watching the world through a kaleidoscope and I agree with him on both the importance and the perfection of it. 

The other day, a colleague was saying metro commuters have started eating healthy. Like sprouts, apple. I however, generally see them tearing into packets of chips. So does another colleague. This made me realise that although it seem like the same sea of people, they behave differently in different metros, and of course during different times of the day.

Take the morning metros for example. The trains after 7.45 am become so crowded at the source station itself that I catch myself wondering why is my train taking longer than usual to reach its destination. In reality it takes the exact same time. However, the compartment gets so full in the first station itself that it resembles the compartment of the 6th station and I therefore get mentally prepared to get down at the destination (changing station) which is 3 more stations away from the 6th. The train gets so full that you can see people pondering hard in front of an open door on whether they should get in. After all this is pretty much their only chance to get a seat in a journey that can be 44 stations long. I see people letting go the train. They refuse the invitation of an open door as they are certain another one is coming in 4 minutes or so. It is like the Tinder playing out in real world. You can confidently swipe left. The next one is just around the corner for you to hook up err I mean get up. 

If you can leave earlier though, that is if you can leave your bed early enough, you can look at mostly seated passengers in the metro in the first station. Men mostly concentrate on their mobile phones or newspaper (unless they posing with the latter just like I do), however if it is a Tuesday you see men openly showing their admiration for a particularly macho god. Then they take their place in the seat. Take out a book of mantras, touches it to their head, and starts speed-reading. I doubt if they actually need the book or is it part of the ritual?

Some people board, stand, and get down from the metro with their eyes glued to the screens and ears surrendered to the plugs. I am at awe of these people. They almost float over the blues of the Blue line. They look like these pristine monuments (albeit a somber one) which can not bother less about the hustle and bustle around them. I have never seen them talking to anyone. I wonder if they disconnect the calls even if they get one! There are others though, who use the plugs to block out the world and connect to the one they want to. One of them with striped trousers, said this morning, "So! What was the breaking news you wanted to give me last night?" and upon listening to the news she promptly added, "Shut up! I don't believe you!" I am guessing that the person on the other side did not shut up because otherwise the monologue would have been too long even for a soliloquy. The one with

round-tummy standing next to her did not like the monologue though, and often shook his head disapprovingly. The striped trousers got down without even sharing one look. I looked up to see if the round-tummy felt hurt, especially as he changed his position to hear better (and offer advice probably). After all "Nobody"s in our lives have all the right to judge and the woman was clearly denying him his rights, but he seemed to quickly shift his attention to the other man's phone. Nobodies are practical that way. 

There are many ways to realize how practical people are, if you observe a little. A woman returning with me the other day touched her forehead while discussing an accounting trouble with her colleague on phone. As she was solving the puzzle for her colleague, she frowned a bit too much and in the process lost her stuck-on bindi. Upon realizing that she finished her call and took out a big leaf of bindis from her bag, and took out one to fix it at the right place using the glass door as the mirror before getting down. She will probably have to solve one trouble less that way. I admired her practicality while walking out of an unbelievably empty corridor.