Been a couple of days and I have been meaning to write about a couple of things - experiences really. The first is about the feeling I get when I stand on the edge of the local train coach's gate in the morning. The second about a funny incident that demonstrated what 'conditioning' is - although this one did not involve a dog, much to the ado of Pavlov's heavenly spirit* (*to those who have never come across Pavlov or his dog or both, please don't hesitate to google up his name. So, lets visit them each, one by one.
The first one first.
About a month after I moved to work here, I remember one of the days I was chatting with a fellow colleague who had joined in my firm itself, albeit in a different division. The topic of discussion was Mumbai local trains. And she had said something that got stuck in my mind. It was that Mumbaikars do not really mind traveling while standing on the train coach's gate, supported only by the iron rod or the part-metallic-part-wooden handles. In fact, she said, they seem to love it just as she was starting to love Mumbai. A while ago, I discovered the truth in her statement.
It really does feel awesome when often in the workday mornings, I stand latched onto one of those supports mentioned earlier (not to mention of course the careful demeanour one needs to maintain in regards to the security point-of-view). Really, as the fresh morning air blows past my face while the train picks up speed, I almost feel at times like extending my arms and giving Mr. Superman some competition. It almost feels as if I can fly without wings. Especially at that particular moment when the train begins accelerating, giving an amazing pull as it hurtles ahead. So ladies and gentlemen, do give it a shot - maybe you get the feeling too.
The second one now.
Its amazing to see how much we humans get conditioned to certain walks of life. Once again I realized this in a local train, except that this time I wasn't in a First Class coach (where only three people sit on one plank, and of course the plank is cushioned - quite a bit for an unlimited travel pass between Churchgate and Elphinstone for Rs260 a month), but in a General coach (where usually four people sit on one plank, non-cushioned, with the ticket costing a paltry Rs4 for one side journey) for this time I was coming via Victoria Terminus, a.k.a Chattrapati Shivaji Terminus, from which I do not have the abovementioned travel pass. So I went and sat upon one of these planks, and since my destination was only 6 stations hence, I decided to sit on the edge of the plank to avoid commotion later, with my feet in the passage-way as is the accepted norm. Incidentally, when I sat, there were two other occupants only on that plank.
People started pouring in, and soon the coach was full, except that for the first time ever in past 11 months, no one really came and sat in the middle on my plank for 5 stations when I finally got up. There was a full General coach seat in there and the middle guy had kept his bag on the seat (rather than upon the stand above or his lap or the floor) and no one came to sit. And I realized as I got up, it was simply that no one had noticed that seat, for why would someone sit on the edge if there was a full seat anyway; when I did get up though, two standing passengers realized this and asked the erstwhile middle guy to put the bag away. And I was quite taken aback, at how sometimes we do not even realize, failing to see what's there just because - we are conditioned in a particular manner. Amazing!
The first one first.
About a month after I moved to work here, I remember one of the days I was chatting with a fellow colleague who had joined in my firm itself, albeit in a different division. The topic of discussion was Mumbai local trains. And she had said something that got stuck in my mind. It was that Mumbaikars do not really mind traveling while standing on the train coach's gate, supported only by the iron rod or the part-metallic-part-wooden handles. In fact, she said, they seem to love it just as she was starting to love Mumbai. A while ago, I discovered the truth in her statement.
It really does feel awesome when often in the workday mornings, I stand latched onto one of those supports mentioned earlier (not to mention of course the careful demeanour one needs to maintain in regards to the security point-of-view). Really, as the fresh morning air blows past my face while the train picks up speed, I almost feel at times like extending my arms and giving Mr. Superman some competition. It almost feels as if I can fly without wings. Especially at that particular moment when the train begins accelerating, giving an amazing pull as it hurtles ahead. So ladies and gentlemen, do give it a shot - maybe you get the feeling too.
The second one now.
Its amazing to see how much we humans get conditioned to certain walks of life. Once again I realized this in a local train, except that this time I wasn't in a First Class coach (where only three people sit on one plank, and of course the plank is cushioned - quite a bit for an unlimited travel pass between Churchgate and Elphinstone for Rs260 a month), but in a General coach (where usually four people sit on one plank, non-cushioned, with the ticket costing a paltry Rs4 for one side journey) for this time I was coming via Victoria Terminus, a.k.a Chattrapati Shivaji Terminus, from which I do not have the abovementioned travel pass. So I went and sat upon one of these planks, and since my destination was only 6 stations hence, I decided to sit on the edge of the plank to avoid commotion later, with my feet in the passage-way as is the accepted norm. Incidentally, when I sat, there were two other occupants only on that plank.
People started pouring in, and soon the coach was full, except that for the first time ever in past 11 months, no one really came and sat in the middle on my plank for 5 stations when I finally got up. There was a full General coach seat in there and the middle guy had kept his bag on the seat (rather than upon the stand above or his lap or the floor) and no one came to sit. And I realized as I got up, it was simply that no one had noticed that seat, for why would someone sit on the edge if there was a full seat anyway; when I did get up though, two standing passengers realized this and asked the erstwhile middle guy to put the bag away. And I was quite taken aback, at how sometimes we do not even realize, failing to see what's there just because - we are conditioned in a particular manner. Amazing!
