a Traveler in making
The City of Dreams (and the People from Heaven)
A train stopped at platform no 16 of Mumbai railway station and a 20-something young adult got down with 100s of other passengers. ‘Platform no 16’ intrigued him. Coming from a small town he had never seen such a big railway station with so many platforms. Mumbai railway station, a historical marvel, he has only seen in movies, stole his attention for a few minutes before he realized that he should be watchful for his luggage.
He took a cab to his friend’s place. Everything was so grand for him be it the buildings, shops, roads, or even the vehicles on the road. He was mesmerized by the views, his eyes were out everywhere from the window. He tried to hide the awe on his face, the fear that the cab driver, knowing that he was new to the city, might take him for a ride.
First Day — the start of something new
It was amazing to board and travel the mighty Mumbai local train. He could board easily as he was traveling opposite to the rush. He got the best place, the window seat, from where he could see outside, soak more of the city, and enjoy the breeze. Nearing his destination, the situation changed, and the coach got completely packed. He panicked and rushed towards the door, pushing people on the way. A person near the footboard asked him — where do you want to get down? Listening to his reply the person said – “There are still a couple of stations to go. If you go to the middle of the footboard now, all the people alighting will push you out in the very next station. There is no need to panic, I’ll tell you a simple trick. When yours is the next station to come, go and stand in the middle of the dashboard just behind the people getting down there. Everyone ahead of you and many behind you will be getting down too. When the station arrives, they will make way ahead, and push from behind to get you down.” It’s so Effortless!
After getting down from the train, there was still some distance to cover, more adventure, and learning for him before he reached his institute. Asking a fellow passenger, he found the exact bus stop and the bus number to board. He reached the stop, and fortunately, there were very few people at the stop. Though there was a long queue behind it. He thought they might be standing for a monthly pass or something. Anyway the bus came without much wait, and he ran towards the door. Many from the queue started shouting at him — “Come in the queue, come in the queue”. What??? A queue to board the bus was alien to him. He knew only one approach — when the bus arrived, rush towards it and drop your handkerchief or bag from the window to block your seat. A queue to board the bus, wow! His fascination was reaching to peak, what an organized and disciplined folks of this city are.
Well, he was slightly disappointed too that he had to wait in the queue now and of course on loss of handkerchief’s superpower. He started following the queue for its tail. The queue was quite long, which made him climb back half the stairs of the railway station. There are more than 100 people ahead of him. He got sad, at the thought of being late on the first day of his course. To his surprise within 10 minutes he was on the bus, with the simile on his face he was amazed by the frequency of buses. On asking, his fellow passenger gave him information about the rules and policies like reserved seats for ladies and senior citizens, always boarding from the rear door and alight from the front, monthly passes, etc.
With all the confusion, learning, train, bus, and walking, he made it half an hour before his destination. Mumbaikars love this pace of life, distance is nothing from them.
In a few days of to his institute, he experienced wonderful things:
- local train friends, he got one too
- bhajans and aartis in the local train, and getting prasad is the sweetest moment.
- wherever you go, people around will guide you with the best.
- autorickshaws go as per meter
- the city which never sleeps — people everywhere, a bit too many
- fast Vada Pav, fiery missal pav, romantic Irani chai & bun maska
- grand Ganpati visarjan, delicious street food of Khau gallies (street food lanes)
- the list goes on…
Mumbai Darshan — city tour
The city is fascinating to him every moment. There is so much to explore and so little he knows about it. Weekend after weekend he wandered to all the famous places. These visits helped him to understand the history and rich culture of this city. The wonderful places and their charms have given birth to an admirer, a tourist.
A tourist who has fallen in love with this mega city, and was pulling him towards it. He felt for sure, that Mumbai is much more and deeper than its tourist attractions. Mumbaikars have given him the feeling of trust that “wherever you go we are there to take care”. Now the challenge is how to know more about those unknown places and meet unknown people. Without it, his relationship with Mumbai is incomplete and superficial.
He devised a simple plan which doesn’t require any research, was very affordable and was full of surprises. The plan is actually to have no-plan. On the next Sunday, we got up early, got ready, and reached the nearest bus stop. From there he boarded the next bus without bothering about where the bus was going. He asked the conductor to give him a ticket for the last stop. One doesn’t have to know the name of the place, you can just say last stop and get the ticket. He took a seat next to the person who looked local to the city. This way, he got his tour bus and his fellow passengers became his guide to this endless city of Mumbai.
He has found his way, and this journey goes on. Every weekend a new place is added to his list, and many questions which he throws on his fellow passengers. Some got answered, with a lot of other information, stories, feelings, and connections. With the joy of visiting the core of the city and exploring less-known places, food joints, markets, residences, parks, the East, the West, the North, and the South. If he finds something interesting on the way, he gets down there to wander, to try. Sometimes he hits the jackpot and sometimes the day remains dry, sometimes things go so easy, sometimes it gets very exhausting, sometimes he finds something amazing on the way, or sometimes he misses something wonderful nearby. But every time there is an immense joy, a satisfaction. He kept it mostly solo, it’s his way, his interest; not sure if others will like it. For the first time, he felt like an explorer.
An Explorer
The thrill was like a drug and he, like an addict, was chasing the highs. The urge is increasing to go out of Mumbai, and the world beyond. Being a student, he has to keep a watch on his budget. To keep the journey on, he took a part-time teaching job at an institute. The extra funds gave him the wings to fly higher, farther, and faster. He keeps all his trips very affordable by traveling with public transport and staying in basic accommodations. This ensures more trips in the same amount, and there is no second thought about it. Going out on the weekend has become a custom now, solo or with friends. Mumbai is surrounded by many forts, shores, and mountains so much that one cannot cover it all.
As the time passed, he finished his studies and found a job. The job gave him enough thrill to keep him busy, even on weekends. His love and passion were moved to his work, learning new things and applying them to build innovative products. A few years passed, and the travel happened occasionally with colleagues.
One fine weekend, he was at home, with nothing to do, bored. He took his backpack, put a pair of clothes in it, and went to the railway station. He glanced the the display for the upcoming trains and selected a train and a destination from where he could return by the next evening. The reservation to sleeper coach is out of the question in such a short time, so he booked a ticket for the general compartment. When the train arrived, he requested the Ticket Collector to upgrade his ticket to sleeper coach and board the train. The explorer is back with the ticket to explore the next unknown destination.
This is the beginning of traveling solo to many parts of his state and beyond on long weekends. He had read that India is a land of diversity but it’s now he was experiencing it. The journey introduced him to different cultures, geographies, climates, food, beliefs, traditions, and professions. He learned to adapt to these distinctions, which turned into admiration and finally, these distinctions became his love and part of his exploration.
The journeys could have difficulties and his was no different. Sometimes his ticket doesn’t get upgraded, so he has to travel in the general compartment, or cancel his ticket and choose another destination. Sometimes waiting for the train goes for many hours. To keep the return smooth he started to plan/book his return tickets on the way or as soon as he reached his destination. He started surfing about his destination to know more about it. At times he has to adjust to a so-so accommodation or pay more for a decent one. Certainly, there were challenges but he found them adventurous and an occasion to learn something new. With more such journeys, things started becoming more smoother.
The Destination
His journey continued, from days to weeks and sometimes months. During his journey, he met many people and joined them on their tour. A few beautiful tours he still cherishes are camping, or car-camping (as in sleeping in the car’s front seat pushing the backrest to maximum flat), bicycle tours, staying in hostels, and volunteering in farms in exchange for food and accommodation.
His passion for travel took him to many places across India and a few places abroad. Travel is his way to know the world, learn, and grow. It might look like an adventure to some, craziness or procrastination to others. But for him, it gives meaning to his life and makes him complete. Being a traveler, every place is a destination, but not The destination. And there won’t be one…
While writing this blog, he is preparing for his next travel.
