An excerpt:
Chugging home
Taking a local train in Mumbai means an inevitable battle with those who prefer to travel standing on the footboard. This penchant of theirs has nothing to do with how crowded or empty the compartment is.
In their bid to climb in, some people can be very persuasive. Like this man who said: “Andar jao bhai, aage bado. Aage badoge to hi ladkiyan tumhare peeche aayengi [Go on, get inside. It is only if you go ahead (in life) that women will pursue you].
Take this scene from another jam-packed local train. A passenger got a call on his cell phone. Miraculously, he even managed to take the call. From the conversation, it was clear he was talking to his wife. And sounding progressively irritated by the minute.
No one really paid attention until, at one point, he yelled into the phone. “Nahi, pura khali hai [No, it’s totally empty].” He was obviously referring to the overcrowded train.
“Kal hi mere baap ne kharida tha naa [My father bought it just yesterday],” he continued.
Wifey got the point. End of conversation.
– Dhiraj Shetty, Mumbai