Moral Dilemma

Random conversations can be very interesting, giving you a glimpse how people you commute with react to situation. My write-up on moral dilemma is more about how simple situations can put you to test. It has nothing to do with people’s choices. When I travel with college students there is always a curiosity to know if they have a similar life which we had.  Technology has made life complex. Simplicity that technology offers more than often comes with complications of its own. Access and excess are hurting are life more than ever.

These incidences made me realize life never gives easy choices. It is the attitude with which you live your life that makes the difference. These are short conversations but they speak volumes. Not about the character of the generation involved, rather about the complex choice life offers them.

I came across a conversation between two friends, let us call them Kavita and Savita for sake of simplicity.

Kavita, “You told me you will not study on Sunday. How come you were able to finish the chapter?”

Sunita, “Didn’t I tell you, I was reading from Garima’s notes? I finished the notes and didn’t realize that it covered the whole chapter. Why didn’t you take a copy of these notes when I asked you?”

The reply was almost an accusation, “You did? I don’t remember that.”

Other student replied, “I did when you were sending sms to all our friends inviting them for a stroll in CP.”

Kavita was not happy with this, “How many times have I told you don’t discuss studies when I am busy with phone.”

Sunita seemed to be a gentel person, she said, “Not a problem, I have the notes and we have 30 minutes before we reach college. Here read them.”

“It is useless, I will never be able to remember all this. It’s too much of information. Can you explain the important theories?”, Kavita said.

Sunita smiled and said, “Well I can try.”

She pulled out the notes and started explain the theory to her friend. I could see from Kavita’s expression she was having a hard time understanding the concept.

She interrupted Sunita and declared, “This is very hard. I don’t think I can remember the whole stuff. Let me just write it down.”

“Good, write and then you will be able to learn faster”, Sunita offered her pen.

Kavita was annoyed, “You don’t understand I have to write it on my hand.”

Everyone was suddenly looking at Kavita intently, Sunita came to her rescue, “No, let me explain it you again.”

The train reached Rajiv Chowk and everyone started to walk towards the gate. Last heard when I saw the friend alighting the train “No, I have to write it on my hands. No I have to write it on my hands”.

Writing an exam can cause. Waiting for results always causes stress. Sometimes celebrations for success in examination can also cause stress.

The exams were over now and there were several group of students discussing the options of spending some quality time doing “masti”. Invariably the interesting conversation came from a group of girls and boys who were probably the toppers in their class with highest grades.

Boy says to the girls “Well now that results are out I think we should celebrate. Where would you want to go?”

One of the girl replied “Let us go for a movie and then pizza.”

Boy clearly didn’t like the idea “No, we will not go for a movie. We will go to the day pub in Saket.”

Another girl was annoyed by the idea “You know my mom was very nice to me yesterday because I scored so well in my exams. But she also knows that I drink when I go to these pubs. So she made me promise I will never drink again or go to a pub.”

Boy looked surprised “When did that happen. I remember telling your mom we go to day-discos and don’t drink.”

The girl in question was visibly upset “Vivek had sent me text messages teasing me for the cocktails I tried. You remember the one which was particularly nasty and left me dazed for hours all together. Mom saw the text in my inbox. She was very upset. Fortunately dad doesn’t know about it.”

Other passengers including were smiling by now and enjoying the conversation.

The girl who was playing on her Samsung Galaxy all this while, looked up uninterested in continuing the discussion, declared “Well if you have promised your Mom that you will not drink then you should not. We will go somewhere else.”

Boy was angry now “That is why I don’t like to hang out with girls. They are such a fuss. Don’t drink but at least come with us.”

In was in minority at the moment and had to lose out. All girls in his group shouted “No only movie and pizza!!.”

While they alighted from the metro somebody called out “Girls stay away from this guy, he will corrupt you!!!”

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Travelling with "OTHERS"





Every time I travel to a new city/country, I always check for the best possible transport options available there. If it is a country capital, I generally get the pleasure of traveling in metros. Often wondered if people visiting India/Delhi for the first would find our Metro convinient enough. Not that I have not seen tourists travelling in Metro, though its an occasional sighting. Also had a first hand experience of people staring at you when travelling with "goras". In fact, my niece was so nonchalant about the whole experience, it made me wonder if her India travel check list included "ignore stares and occasional pushovers". What amazed her was the amount of attention she was getting in this country. Well yes, you are a girl and a "gora", what else would you expect.

We were lucky for traveling on non-peak hours. So we didn't really encounter maddening rush. I had seen, in the past, people standing in a corner looking at the crowd. Their lost look made me wonder if the travel website sounded the alarms as so what can they expect while using public transport in India. Or may they were just being adventurous and landed themselves here. When you chat with these tourists they dont seem to be bothered. Mostly are surprised by the efficiency of Delhi metro system. They believe India has the capability but lacks the will to do things. Some are just happy with the system and some are surprised at the efficiency of the system.

The standards differ. Tourists from America or Europe feel India really needs to improve. They often wonder how can people survive in such a chaos. But those who come from lesser privileged countries such as African nations are happy to experience the efficient public transport system. I happened to speak with two women, who were pen-pals and had decided to visit India together. While the Australian lady had some valuable inputs on how to improve the Delhi metro. The African lady was very pleased with the existing system. It was a great experience for her. In her home country public transport is still not the best experience.

I have spoken to many tourists who are very comfortable traveling in Delhi metro.

Everyone knows Rajeev Chowk station is overcrowded at all times. There is not one time during the day when you can expect lesser crowd on stations. It was usual crowded morning. I looked out of the window the platform was brimming with people. I saw her standing there right at the back of the queue. My experience told me she would not be able to board this metro. Passengers alighting from the metro will make it impossible for her to board. Then I saw her pushing her way through. I was amazed. She was being pushed around by passengers. One girl rather frail in her appearance uttered the abusive word in Hindi. To her utter astonishment our Afro-American co-passenger understood the word. What followed was a sight of dismayed passengers unable to believe what they heard. Our lady in question was shouting on top of her lungs, “What are you doing Baba. What is the problem with you. Did you just abuse me by calling me a ‘Kallu’?. What was that you just called me?”. If space would have permitted, I would have been rolling on floor laughing. My first thought was “Serves her right, how dare she use the Hindi word to abuse someone”. The poor girl was petrified. She half expected a slap to follow those words. Her face had turned white. She was unable to speak.

What are the odds, one may ask. The Indian girl is short, thin and at a loss of words. On the other hand, our Afro-American passenger is at least six feet tall, athletic built and with stare that can almost reduce you to ashes with imaginary laser beam.

That very moment I saw my little Indian friend collapse in fear. She fainted. While other passengers scrambled to help her, the Afro-American lady pulled a face in disbelief and alighted from the metro.

Someone from general coach called out; “You can get up now. She has left the train. You are safe!”.

Sizing up

Travelling in a public transport like Metro can sometimes enlighten you with greater sense of public opinion. Its been a while since I have been reading articles about increase in obesity in India. The statistics suggest that a large part of our population will be diabetic by 2020, thanks to our lifestyle changes. I know fighting bulge is a difficult task from my personal experience. But then Indian curry is such a great cuisine that everyone is across the world enjoys it. Also, our sweets are great to feast on. But gaining those extra pounds can have a lot more damning effect than earlier times. Being chubby was a considered healthy by my grandmother. She applauded mom's culinary abilities just because we were eating a lot. She was the last person to be bothered with the effect of food on health.

Today things are different. You cannot have those extra pounds with out having the feeling of guilt. Almost everywhere and in everything you are judged by your appearance. Yes, it has something to do with the clothes you wear. But it has a lot to do with your body weight. Almost everyday I hear one conversation which has weight as the main discussion topic. It may range from best possible diet methods to why Indian food is so bad for health. This conversation is not limited to young girls these days. Everyone seems to be following this trend. The difference may be boys/men would like to flaunt their gym skills and schedule.

A typical conversation would start with, "Oh! you have lost weight. How did you do it. I just can't give up on my love for food". The answer to this question will be, "No. I haven't lost weight. Though I am trying to experiment with a new diet regime and have starting walking a lot. I try to take stairs whenever possible. May be I look different because of my new dress. Or may be those extra hours at the gym are showing. But, I definitely think, I have not lost any weight".

I am sure health researchers across India will be happy about this awareness. However, those who love food and are lazy like me, might not appreciate the trend. Though I still believe the problem is not as serious with me as I have seen with some of my co-passengers. If you are not thin then you are not really welcome to travel. When the seating place is full, it is common for people to ask for some space and adjust. If you are not reed thin, you will be risking stares from people. Occasionally a firm "NO" can also come your way. When one person gets up, there are at least two people who would try their luck in fit in that space. If you are heavily built, your chances of success are very slim. Sometimes the co-passenger will bump you off the space just to make sure the rest of journey is comfortable for him. I am not a saint either, would always try and stand next to a thin person in a crowded coach. I have had some real bad experiences of swollen toes.

Occasional stare is the last thing you should be worried. Its the people trying to judge you just because you are medically overweight, which can be irritating. Not all are bothered by their weight. Some can use it for their benefit. This other girl who was with me seemed to use her extra kilos for good work. One she pushed her way in, through the crowded metro with relative ease. Secondly she went right up to the "ladies only" seats and stood guard.  Needless to say how thankful I was when I followed her into the carriage. She was short and bulky. It didn't seem she was bothered by the stares, rather was impatiently waiting to grab a seat. The moment finally arrived. Yes, she used her weight to push people and reach for the seat. Someone grunted, probably she has stepped on someone's foot. The passenger who lost seat tried to protest. She replied, "Can't you see I have a weight problem. I can't stand for long. You should have courtesy to allow me to sit".

The argument went in her favour and I could see many smiling faces.

On a look out

I am still so hooked to the idea of late 70's movie were people met on their way to college/office. I have been traveling for such a long time yet never met the same person twice. I am sure the fact that I don't really fall in the category of college-going-young-girl has something to do with it. I am sure at least office goers traveling in peak hours would hardly get time to notice people around them. More than once I have come across people quarreling over lack of space or invasion of space. But never really heard a friendly chatter during peak hours. 

I believed that college going janta would be able to help me to understand if my movie fantasy still holds true. No and may be, were few answers that I received. Some one told me that early morning travel is very boring with almost no probability of a Vitamin A sighting. The definition of Vitamin A, "Good looking girl/boy", is so true. Of course you can't catch a 8:00am metro and afford to look good. I have never been able to do that. But after 10:00am the story is different. While girls now dress up well  for the travel, the boys don't disappoint either. What I was looking for was the chauvinism that is depicted in yesteryear movies. The boy making way for the girl or may be coming to rescue the girl. Lot many girls need rescuing from the odd looking men even in metro travel. Those creepy looking men who are lurking around the "Ladies only" coaches. No one seemed interested in it. It seems no one has the time to keep track of co-passengers. Let alone be on a look out for love. 

I once spotted a group of girls and boys standing in queue on general carriage and talking loudly. The girls were rather too dressed up for an early morning ride. All of them looked very attractive. Then suddenly, I heard people screaming at each other. I noticed one of the boys of the group was having an animated discussion with other guy standing in the queue. Not a big deal for me as I get too witness this very second day. What struck me was the statement made by the guy standing the queue, he said "Tell your friend, she is in a public place. People are bound to look in her direction. If she hates being looked at then she should not travel in the metros". Its a matter of fact statement, which means I am going to stare do whatever you feel like. This guy may never stand a chance of finding a love interest in a metro.   I later heard that the guy was just trying to look at the  swanky phone the girl had. Which confirmed my belief, the guy will never be able to get a girl for himself. Especially when  he seems to be the King of lame excuses. Such people are found in abundance. No girl is interested in such "losers", one term which rather used too liberally by wannabes of today.

When almost everyone I spoke with, told me that they have no experience of chauvinism by co-passengers, my experience was different. Though it happened just once. It was rather a cute incident. One morning I was forced to board a general carriage due to huge rush hour traffic at the ladies compartment. I knew there was a slim chance of me making it to office on time if I persisted on my attempts to board from ladies coach. The crowd was bigger at the general coach but somehow I knew I would be able to get make it through the doors. The advantage of general coach is in people trying to maintain distances if you are a female. In a ladies coach you can be sure there be at least two females leaning on you. There are times though when you get squashed like a lemon during rush hours in general coaches. It was one of such days, when people seemed to be standing on each other. I was not spared that day and people seemed to particularly interested in pushing me around. One rouge in particular was trying to move in closer an inch at a time. I was trying to move away. I noticed there was another guy standing and blocking my way. His appearance was rather too ordinary to notice. He was lean and wore classes. He also carried a laptop on his shoulder. I kept slowly inching towards him as I felt he was as harmless as his appearance. This continued for good fifteen minutes when I suddenly noticed this guy has moved out of his space and made me stand in a secured corner. Like a movie hero, he put a hand to cordon me off limit for others. He never sneered or stared at the rogue. A simple action made the statement. 

In a different set of settings it may have been a start of typical Yash Raj romance. Hopefully for some one else it might be!!

Reading to learn

courtesy Dr. Vinay Kumar

Reading while travelling seems to be catching up in Delhi more than ever. With metro becoming a preferred mode of travel, more people are opting to read while travelling. It is common to see majority of people during the morning rides reading newspapers or kids doing their last minute revisions or fiction stories. No matter how much I would like to believe otherwise, most commonly read books will still be "Revolution 2020" and "50 Shades of Grey". I prefer seeing people with Paulo Coelho, who seems to be the next popular author with his plenty of books. I read some where he writes one book every 2 years.

I envy people who can read in Metros. I have tried a lot of times to get past my motion sickness but in vain. I mostly end up getting stares from readers for being invasive. After all it was and still is the favorite activity for us. Majority of us don't bother getting our copy, instead would lean over to get a better view of  fellow commuter's newspaper. The article some how seems more interesting when some one else is reading it. I also happen to be an avid member of this club. Trust me to know the major stories of the day, especially on Page 3, by end of my journey. My attention is inevitably drawn to books, but I am better off than a lot many people. I must caution you against those over enthusiasts who have read all books ever written and would not shy away from telling you this. They would also share their thoughts on favorite characters. You might encourage them if you smile. To save yourself the smile should be accompanied by the look which says, "That was very helpful. Thank you".

The latest fad these days are the self-help books. Lately I have seen an increase in number of people carrying authors such as Stuart Wilde and Paulo Coelho. In the month of April, Times of India had done a small write up "5 Great self-help books", which had me smiling. I firmly believe unlike US or Europe, India doesn't have a market for such books. The system around us is built to help us from the very beginning. From the day you are born till the day you die, advises come plenty and free. From how you should you walk to which career you should opt for, you have advisors for all. When we have such a blessed life, can we ask for more advise. I did seem to find my answer when I asked fellow commuter who was reading "The Alchemist". I asked him, "Do you like reading books which inspires its readers?". He looked lost. To make things simpler for him I asked, "Did you find this book interesting?". "Well yes", he said. I wanted to know more, so I asked again, "I liked the way he wrote but did not understand the inspirational message. People say this book carries a message, 'When you want something, all the universe conspires in helping you to achieve it', do you agree". I could see he did not get the message. He said,"I am not sure about the message in the book. One of my girlfriend is fond of reading and she loaned me this book. I am just reading it because she asked me to".

Well I got my answer, not everyone who reads a self-help would be looking for inspiration. Our little Indian world is still safe. Now I am looking for some one reading Stuart Wilde's "Miracles", to confirm my finding.

I know patterns

Photo courtesy Dr. Vinay Kumar

"A pattern, from the French patron, is a type of theme of recurring events or objects, sometimes referred to as elements of a set of objects. The elements of a pattern repeat in a predictable manner". I have always been able to find patterns in every activity. We are surrounded by periodical, rhythmic and repeating activities. It is not always visible and the pattern can be varied. If you take a closer look at the activities around, you will definitely find a pattern. Even while travelling in a metro, one can observe patterns in various activities. Some are very obvious like frequency of metros. While others are not very obvious at first glance, such as ratio of long distance metros to short distance metros on a particular route.

Not that I am always applauded for my ability to do, there have been times when I have been proved wrong. I won't suggest that there are many instances, yet I can't claim I am always correct. Recently I have started traveling with my colleagues in the metro. We share a common half-way destination, which makes it convenient to travel together. I have inundated them with my research on patterns with metro frequency and commuter behavior. Majority of times my findings have helped them save precious time. At times they have been able to manage to avoid maddening rush hour crowds. 

But today was different, I was on a high after finishing my work early. Avoiding rush hour traffic is a very important aspect of my daily commuting. I feel elated by the mere prospect of reaching Rajiv Chowk station before 5:00pm. I guess, for me, it is an achievement of some sort. My colleague was also happy and chatty. I was teasing her for being slow in wrapping her stuff and causing a delay. We had just reached the platform when a train was moving out. Which meant if we were early by just a minute, we would have boarded it. Nobody likes this feeling. I have seen people falling and scrambling to board the train when it was just about to move. We thought better and decided to leave the train. However, the next train was scheduled after 5 minutes according to the electronic display board. This information was not very helpful. She would also not agreeing to walk a couple of meters to "ladies only" coach. I don't appreciate travelling in crowded general coaches. However, we decided to board the almost crowded coach of the next metro.

I was repeating my concerns over crowded coach and trying to convince her to move ahead. In our discussions I happen to boast my ability to understand the patterns. The whole concept was not very appealing to her. To gain some brownie points, I suggested, "You know we should get down at the next station. If we leave two metros, we will be able to board the one which starts from there. This will help us find seats and travel comfortably without being bothered by the crowd". She did not believe me. I had to put an ice-cream as a betting bait to make her follow my plans.

Though she got down at the station, she kept reminding me about losing time and ending up in the rush hour chaos. But I was too engrossed to prove "there-is-a-pattern-and-I-know-it" argument, to bother about rush hour crowd.

Her count down started after one metro, she said we are "one-metro-down". She added, "Now according to your research, we need to leave the next metro too". Which we indeed did. But we were supposed to take the next metro as per my research. My research stated the pattern as three long distance metro and then one short distance metro. This did not happen, we were standing there for next fifteen minutes, with a count of "five-metro-down". Every metro seemed to be over crowded compared to the one we had boarded initially. This was not good for my self-esteem. She was laughing at me. She kept reminding me about the ice-cream I owed her. She was loud enough to make other commuters interested in our conversation. I had started noticing a couple of them trying to contain their smiles.

I was still wondering how can I go wrong. Tried hard to do the algorithm again, the fourth metro should have been the designated short distance metro. There were two metros which were terminated at the state. So technically, we should have at least one starting from here by now. Finally after leaving six metros, came the one which we were waiting for. My colleague was not impressed by this mis-endeavor.

Nevertheless it was her chance to mock at me all the way to Rajiv Chowk station. I was feeling depressed, it seemed all my co-passengers were conspicuously smiling at me. She said, "Tomorrow lunch session will be dedicated to your research on patterns". I knew better, not only tomorrow's lunch, for next one month at the very mention of word metro, this incident will be narrated by my colleague.

Next morning when I reached Rajiv Chowk station, I waited for ten minutes to confirm the pattern. Yes, indeed after two long distance metros, there was one for shorter distance. My calculations were accurate as I waited and let go of next six metros. Suddenly realized, need to be on time for a call!!!

Outage equals chaos here

"The power grid failure has given us international fame" a student declared, reading an article from Washington Post . "No wonder team Anna suggests that it is an deliberate attempt by the Government to sabotage their agitation", he added. Well, he was not wrong, almost all the major International newspapers carried articles terming it the worst power outage on July 30th. Unaware that India is capable of more and bigger power outage just a day after that on August 1. After which they realized "it only happens in India" and took the opportunity to dedicate lot many 20 inch column space everyday rest of the week. The latest one being on "Lack of power symbolizes inequalities" . One of his friend asked,"How was the day different than any other day in NCR? On any given day there is scheduled load shedding which leaves us without power for a good 5-6 hours". That is also true. I am also aware that its not that every summer Washington Post or New York Times writes about the severe shortage of power in NCR. Though in last few years there have been few articles suggesting India needs to improve its generation capacity or have smart grid systems. It was the balant exposure of system break down which attracted them. Our inability to sustain our basic transportation facility system were condemned by the International press. The capital region almost came to a stand still.

I was also surprised by the interest now people had in "Grid failure" discussions. I remember HT Mini (national daily special print for metro commuters) doing an article explaining supply grids and how grid fails. The article had a "FAQ" like column explaining in detail. A very helpful article which was not very enlightening for my fellow commuters. I saw several co-passengers reading the article. Still the discussion comments were very interesting. Grid system according to one passenger is a network of towers which carries electricity and can easily get effected by rain and storm since the material quality is very poor in India. A new engineering graduate rubbished his claims, according to him, "It is not poor quality of material. We overdraw power and do not generate enough". Not everyone was convinced by this logical explanation. They still wanted to believe, it was somehow the fault of Mr. Shinde and his team. They should have taken special measures to avoid this. "Probably called engineers from Japan to suggest alternative power source such as solar cells", suggested someone. When asked about the known capacity of a single solar cell, he was clueless. Not finding much appreciation, he came up with another bright suggestion, "Nuclear power is also a viable alternative. We don't have Tsunami here". His friend smiled and reminded him, "But we do have earthquakes here. They also pose high risk". The source of energy can be different but what they fail to understand was the need to conserve energy. I never heard anyone talk about how to contribute to avoid such situation in future. There perception and conceptions were very interesting. A group of elderly women felt they were much happier in days without refrigerators, washing machine and micro-waves. Life was simpler. While there was another group where the participants felt it was a good time for Rahul Gandhi to be our Energy Minister (?). After all he has studied abroad, he should be able to implement newer technologies in India.

I smiled and enjoyed a whole lot of similar conversations. The best statement was from one who seemed to be a beliver in "Mayan Calender", he said, "This is why we believe in end of world, it is a way of God for telling us we should not be too dependent on material things".

Well, even if the world is coming to an end, it wont't harm us if we contributed more towards energy conservation. Will it?

Harmless action?, I beg to differ

I read a quote somewhere by William James, "Act as if what you do makes a difference. It does.", it is quite an inspiring quote. However, I am not sure how many of my co-passengers know about William James or heard this quote. Their action or in-action suggests many of them live surrounded in their own ignorant world. After travelling is metros almost every day for past six months, I have not been able to understand the reason behind some actions.

These actions are harmless but then they do make a difference. I fail to understand why one would;
Feign sleep to avoid offering his/her seat to more deserving co-passenger.
Not hold on to the rails while standing. How can tripping or falling over people considered cool?
Walk up and stand right in front of the queue when he/she should be the last one.
Push people to make way in to already crowded metro.
Trying to enter the carriage when doors are closing.
Peeping to see if metro is approaching. Will it make a difference except for the life altering accident?

Not all the actions are harmless. One may believe wearing sunglasses while travelling in metro is harmless.   I had have different experience. I was curious enough to ask a co-passenger with black sunglasses if he suffered from conjunctivitis. I had to be careful, it was rainy day with no sun. My co-passenger was not happy with my question, he stared at me in disbelief. His curt voice and stare will stay with me for a long time. It was not the only incident. Lately, the sightings have gone up to at least three people in day.Though I have learnt to suppress my smile and ignore the urge.

Some actions take considerable amount of planning before they are executed. Once I noticed a family of four in deep conversation, trying to convince the youngest on something. All the family members could be termed as medically obese. They seemed very tensed. When the station approached they were the first one to reach at the doors. My destination was the same station. I saw all four of them running towards the elevator. I knew what was coming next, they would use the elevator and leave the elderly passengers stranded. To my amusement I saw people in the lift asking one of them to step out. It seems the elevator was unable to take the weight of all four members with other passengers. The elevator doors were unable to close. I saw all four of them grumpily walking towards the escalators. I heard the father telling his younger one,"I told you to run (?) fast and be the first one to reach there. You need to loose some weight to be able to run faster. Your pace is slower than a snail."

Another harmless action which reminds me "If people never did silly things nothing intelligent would ever get done", quote by Ludwig Wittgenstein.

Not a perfect match

Its not difficult to overhear conversations, crowded carriages make it a part of your travel. Sometimes you are left with no option but to listen to what is being discussed. I don't mind being a silent participant in conversations. In fact, if luck favors, I get to choose from as much as five live conversations which can range from love chat to family dispute. Not everyone is loud on phone, but almost everyone is audible. Not everyone is shy of having a conversation in public, but almost everyone is self-conscious. Especially the young girls who are been coaxed by their parents to meet prospective grooms. This is one conversation which is repeated so very often. If  I were to average, it would be like one such conversation per week.

Most of the times the conversation would start pleasantly and then end abruptly. All the conversations would have five common conversation pieces.

"Now where did you find this guy?"
"I think its too early to get married"
"Let me get settled with my job"
"Why should I call (meet) him"
"Why are you in such a hurry to get me married?"

But this conversation was different. I was standing in front of this girl sitting on "Only for old and physically handicapped" seat. On another day I would have asked her to get up and make space for somebody who deserved to sit there. Not today, I was too tired from my day's travel and didn't want to argue with anyone. Also, there was no "deserving" passenger in sight. Must be her lucky day. I was trying to make sense out of the absurd advertisement on the platform, when I heard the usual, "Where did you get his information from?". I knew where the conversation was heading. To my surprise I was proved wrong.

She continued,"Isn't he the same guy Mamaji(uncle) was asking me to meet?"
"Well, I remember him."
"Isn't he also from Aligarh?"
"He has also studied from Aligarh University. I remember, our classmates would call him Gulli(?)"
"He was such a dud, I didn't even speak to him in college."
"We also worked together for sometime, ask Mamiji(aunt), I had told her about him."
"Yes, the same irritating fellow, who used to talk too much."
"He was trying to be too friendly with me. I ignored his advances."
"How come he was recommended for marriage?"
"Don't worry, I will talk to Mamaji(uncle) and get you out of this mess."
"I know his parents had approached dad last month, proposing marriage."
"Are you crazy, I would never get married to a weird person like him. I would also not allow you to get married to him."

The conversation ended there. I had to get down at the next station. I am not sure what happened to the girl. Yes, I do know for sure that the poor chap is not getting married anytime soon!!

Not really sleeping...

It's so easy to doze off while travelling. I am forever missing stops while travelling because of my habit of sleeping off. I have a gift of falling asleep anywhere, any time. When I travel in metro, I realize I am not the only one who has been blessed. There are dozens of other people who happily sleep in metro, dozing off, snoring away and falling over their co-passengers. Sometimes people even miss their intended stops all because of that extra two minute nap. One would think waking co-passengers and asking them about their destination would be a good idea. Compulsive good will messenger that I am, more than once I have been in "not-so-pleasant" situations for helping people.

Once I was travelling in the metro bound to Gurgaon, where my co-passenger was sleeping blissfully. I could hear her heavy breathing. Metro was at approaching its destination with next station as the IFFCO chowk. My experience tells me almost everyone gets down at this station, so I decide to check with my co-passenger for her destination. I tried waking her by saying, "Excuse me, do you want to get down at the next station?". Got no response from her. I nudged her gently this time to ensure she wakes up. I finally succeeded in getting a response when she said, "No I will get down at the last station". She continued, "I was not sleeping, was in deep meditation". I smiled in a failed attempt to conceal my surprise. But my smile probably prompted her to continue, "One should use whatever time they have for meditation. The art of meditating is in reaching the phase of oblivion even in most unlikely surroundings". I was sure she was sleeping, however decided to keep quite. She further added, "You are young, if you start meditating now you will be able to achieve this in few years". Well, if you ask me, I am too young for yogic meditation. My dad has tried to convince me for ages (for my bother won't even bother listening) and I have always refused. She went on to tell me what were the different ways to do meditation. The different stages of nirvana (yes, she said nirvana) of human soul which can be achieved through meditation. She  told me she taught yoga and meditation on weekends. She even offered a discount of one month fee if I agreed to join her classes "now". When the train reached the last station I thanked GOD. Before she was able to convert me into a devotee, I collected my belongings and rushed out of the carriage.

The other time I tried to help my sleeping co-passenger, it turned out to be my last such attempt. My co-passenger was sleeping blissfully with occasional snoring. The train was approaching Rajiv Chowk  which is the destination for most of the people. In my effort to be a helpful citizen, I called out, "Excuse me sir, do you want to get down at the next station". I had expected a blank look and probably a "thank you" in response. Instead he was taken by surprise in his sleep and woke up with jolt. His belongings fell on the floor. I had realized it was mistake to interfere in his sleep. He shot me a look of disgust before asking me, "Why did you do that. I was not sleeping. I know when I have to get down. I was carrying a laptop in this bag, what if it was damaged now?". I didn't know what to say. I managed to mumble a sorry and got up from my seat. I bumped into him again at Rajiv Chowk and was not pleased at the way he looked at me.

I have promised myself never to try and wake up up my co-passenger again. Though there are still very many people like me who can't stop themselves. Only yesterday, a girl was sleeping occasionally falling over her co-passenger (a testimony of deep sleep), when her co-passenger tapped her shoulder to inform her Rajiv Chowk was the next stop. She woke up with a blank look and whispered, "I was not sleeping. I know its Rajiv Chowk. Anyway thank you".

Well, if no one is really sleeping....why bother!!

The Underground

London underground is an experience in itself. The whole transport structure is woven beautifully, providing the most modern public transport system yet withholding the era of yesteryears. I was intrigued by the whole map system there. Trust me, it will take more than a while for someone to figure out the station and the line. The map seems to be a big mesh of colored lines intersecting each  other repeatedly at different points. The Delhi metro map looks like a piece of cake. Probably a tourist would find difficulty making sense out of "Badarpur" as a station.

I somehow managed to figure out where I was and which ride will be best suited. The underground stations give you a feel of being "underground". The platforms are crowded and dingy. The real shocker is to see the train, which by all standards is smaller than the Purple line of Delhi metro. There is space for not more than 30 people in the carriage. I felt claustrophobic by looking at the approaching train. More than once I asked myself if it was a wise decision to travel by the tube. The "tube" is an apt name, for you feel crowded and trapped. Not that Delhi metro gives you a space to breathe easy. Lately, it seems the number of commuters is directly proportional to rising temperatures with people preferring metro over other transport. Hike in petrol prices is another culprit.

The carriages are small and seating space is very limited, though the seats are very comfortable. Commuters are very patient in London, even though it was a Friday evening nobody seemed to be in a rush. Books and head-phones were with every commuter just like in Delhi metro. It was refreshing to see people carrying books, Kindle and iPad are yet to replace books here.

I enjoyed my brief stint with the tube, it lasted only for a day. However, it was very enjoyable and I loved watching people. Its amazing to know that they developed the system in 1863 and countries like India still have a long way to go!!

The subway

It's been a while since I last got a chance to write. I have been travelling all this while to two different countries. The concept of "tube" or "subway" has been there in these countries for as many as hundred years. Yet the Delhi's metro seems to be based on these age old systems.

I had to put in some effort learning the map reading and trying to figure out subway routes in Washington. It turns out people from all walks of life use the metro. The peak hours have maximum fares and the train frequency is also pretty good. However, off-peak times the frequency is bad and there are very few people on the trains. It is more scary than comfortable, to be the only person in the whole compartment. Well, I had another lady for company but for few stations I was all alone. I had already read a lot of articles about travelling alone in a subways. However, I was sure all the incidents mentioned late night as the time of incident. It was not all that convincing for me that day hours could be harmless. After a while, guard also announced on the PA system that he would encourage people sitting alone in carriages to move up to another carriages, which was not very helpful. My 8 station journey seemed to go on forever. I was torn between walking over to another carriage and wondering how long can it take to cover remaining 5 stations. As luck would have it,  the train stood still for few minutes while approaching one of the stations. This was the last straw, I got up and decided to walk look for a seat in a different carriage. Its not as easy as the Delhi metro, one the speed of the metro is comparatively fast and second the switch operated door between carriages are not very easy to operate. One of the door didn't open even after pushing the switch twice.

On my way back, the peak hour traffic was helpful. The seemingly universal logic that first and last carriages are generally see lesser footfall, holds true for the Washington subway too. The carriages near escalator had many people standing and travelling. Yes, I also witnessed an incident of interruption while doors were closing. There was a group of young girls and boys who boarded the train at the last moment. It seemed their friends were not able to keep up with them. So they conveniently put their handbooks to avoid closing of doors. Not that I saw it very many times, but it did make me feel good that this act can be termed as basic human instinct which can be found in people across the world. I don't support the idea but can't really blame our "junta" as the only ones in world trying disruptive stunts in metros.

The positives aspects of Delhi metro as very many in comparison. The escalator here are faster and you don't feel you are twenty-feet below the the earth surface. The fare remains constant through out the day with no peak hour fare-hikes. We can never face the issue of vacant carriages, there are days when you end-up with no seats even on 11:00pm trains. Which I suppose is very helpful!!

Public display of affection

Public display of affection (PDA) is very common in Delhi. What is uncommon is sighting a couple on busy Monday mornings stealing a kiss in some corner on Metro platform. Monday mornings are really busy. It seems everybody decides to leave early for work. I am not the happiest person on Monday mornings either. Every morning while walking on the platform my focus is entirely on information board as if that will help me make up those five minutes I lost in the morning. Every day I know that it will take me precisely three minutes to change platforms but I still strive to do it faster. Probably a minute or so will be helpful. This Monday was no different I was hurriedly walk through the crowd with my eyes fixed on the information board. I was on time for now and was hoping to hop on the approaching metro. When suddenly I bumped into a girl walking out from strange space under the stairs. It was not odd for me to get bumped, but yes the spot was very unlikely. The girl had caught me unaware. The good thing about metro chaos is that you can learn the art of maneuvering in maddening crowds. The girl's face looked flushed when she uttered a sorry. I moved ahead and noticed a lot people were looking at the girl. Driven by flock mentality I also decided to look at her. I noticed a boy of thin built standing very close to her. They were back to their original spot, underneath the stairs. The boy had his hands around her waist. The fidgeting was very peculiar. No wonder everyone was looking at them. I guess people could make out what was happening as no one was now looking directly at the couple.

The crowd in general avoids directly looking at the couples probably they don't want to look intruding. But everyone was trying to steal a glance in that direction. The girl kept trying to get away from the boy. But boy seemed adamant. When the metro reached the station she said loudly, "I am going to board this metro. You are acting very crazy". The guy was high on love, he kept holding her close. Some how he managed a peck on the girl's cheek. I guess the staff members were waiting for this to happen. They took the responsibility of moral policing on themselves. One of them held the boy by hand and asked him to walk in opposite direction. While a women staff member asked the girl where she was heading. The girl sensed the gravity of the situation boarded the train stationed at the platform.

I heard some one say, "I don't know when will these young boys and girls understand PDA is not acceptable in Indian society". I heard murmurs of protest but they dies away soon.

It was a Monday morning and passengers were too busy to loose precious minutes on this discussion. I saw the boy again, standing on the platform talking on his cell. He was not bothered by moral policing it seems.

Wrong train....really?

She has been noticing it for a while now, it was very odd but the you can't walk up and ask. This is a public transport after all, everyone has the right to travel. It was also not a case of national security which will enable her to ask random questions. I have also noticed the same over past one week, however it was not an important thing for me. She jostled through the crowd to ensure she is seated next to her. I could only manage to stand near them. I know, not good at shoving people so mostly I end up standing through out the journey.

She did try to keep herself from asking questions but not for long. Fidgeting around and feigning seat adjustment she looked at the her smiling, "Its very hard  get a seat in Metro these days. Did you board the train from Vaishali ?". The girl did not return the smile just shook her head otherwise. Lady was not dissuaded, she kept her smile and asked "Then where are you coming from? You must have missed out your station. Sad that you will have to travel back again". The girl smiled and nodded. "So where will you get down?", she asked again. The girl politely replied, "Rajiv Chowk". I was watching the whole interrogation and felt annoyed. The lady was sure that she has done enough sweet talks and can now ask the direct question. She said, "You know I have noticed siting in the approaching train every morning but you never get down at Vaishali, instead you go all the way to Rajiv Chowk in the same metro. Is it a way to ensure a seat?". The girl made a very sad face and said, "Yes, you know its so difficult to get a seat from my station. So I board the train coming to Vaishali and then can easily find a seat here". I was hoping this would kill the curiosity of the lady and she would spare the girl who was visibly upset. But our aunty was not easily dissuaded her next utterance had everyone gasping in disbelief. She said, "Don't lie to me, I know you are here with your boyfriend. He gets down here and you go to Rajiv Chowk in the same train. I hope your parents are aware of your activities". People including me were stunned by the mannerism and words. I was just about to give this lady a lesson in public behavior that I noticed the girl was crying. Probably thinking that she has been caught. She burst out crying, "Yes aunty, I really love him a lot. But my parents don't agree with us. Are you a relative of Anuj?" The lady was a little scared to see the girl cry, she said, "No, no I don't know him. I was generally concerned this is not good for you future". I noticed an instant change in girl's expression. She wiped her tears and gave a stern look, not impressed by the gesture. "Did you suggest its not good for my future?", the girl asked. "Who are you to decided that. The metro officials allow me to travel 10 times to and fro in the same metro. Then who are you to tell me otherwise?"

The lady had nothing to say, she simply got up muttering under her breath something about the new generation. She walked up to the other end of the coach and stood in a corner.

Well that was some lesson for our good old aunty, who seem to be concerned about every body's business. But yes metro officials have a rule that says after using your token/card to enter the platforms you will have to move out in 170 minutes. Which means that even you take the wrong trains twice it will not take more than 170 minutes to your destination. You can be heavily penalized for flouting the rule. I guess, its bad news for all young couple who hang around metro platforms dating during the day. 

Random Conversation #2

Women empowerment can be seen in the Delhi metro these days. Female commuters act very confidently and do not shy away from confronting males who dare to belittle them in any manner. Few instances that I noticed while commuting make me wonder why men still insist on believing in what they believe.

Conversation #1
Young girl notices an old man struggling to board the elevator at the station. She moves forward and firmly holds the old man's hand and urges him forward.

Young girl: "Tau hold the rail lightly and put your feet between the yellow lines"
Surprised by the action old man shook his hand vigorously.
Old man: "Who are you and why are you holding my hand? Girl, don't you have some sense. Stay back. Don't dare to hold my hand again. Where are your parents?"
Young girl: "I am old enough to travel alone. My parents don't have to accompany me".
Old man: "They have spoiled you. That's why you are holding a man's hand".
Young girl: "I hardly think that way. I would have done the same thing with my Grandfather. Now please keep mum and hold my hand. You have already caused a lot of chaos".
Old man: "I will never allow you to hold my hand. I will stand here and wait for a guy to help me board".
Young girl: "No guy will come to help you hold my hand or I will ask a lady staff to make you forcefully do that".

Old man looked around for some help. He saw a boy and asked him to help. The boy agreed to help him.  He made the old man board the elevator, the girl followed the duo. Old man faltered while the elevator moved, the girl took hold of the hand and helped him steady. Old man thanked the boy for helping him and didn't say anything to the girl. Girl just smiled at him and showed him the way to his platform before leaving.

Conversation#2
Crowded metros are an excuse for young men to board the women coaches. Most of the times they are shameless enough to argue back if you ask them to move out. But more than often they find their match in women passengers who would not give up till they leave.

One man was standing in the women coach and leaning dangerously close to a young college girl. The girl tried to move away but there was no space. She put her index finger on his shoulder and pushes him hard.
Young girl: "Do you mind standing straight".
Passenger: "I am standing straight. Why don't you move away".
Young girl: "This compartment is only for women why don't you move ahead".
Passenger: "Can't you see metro is very crowded, there is no space to move. Anyway I don't have to travel far. Will get down after few stations".
Young girl: "Crowded metro is no reason for boarding women coach. Please move or I will ask the guard s to make get down".
Man: "Do what ever you feel like".

The girl patiently waited and called for the guard at the next station. One of the female staff showed up and asked the man to move away. But before anyone could react metro doors closed and the train moved.  The man made some snide remarks on how useless the whole exercise was. Girl was not perturbed  by these remarks. When the metro stopped at the next station, after the people boarded the coach, she simply put her bag between the closing door.
She told the metro security official you need to make this man get down at this very station or I will not let the metro move ahead. Few women in the coach also agreed with her and asked for the same.

The man had no option but to change the coach. He was grumbling. Rest of us were smiling.

That was cool....Grand ma

Holi is one of my favorite festivals. I acknowledged Holi as a national festival well beyond my college years. It was only after I applied for a job in Bangalore that I realized there was no holiday on Holi. Since then, I have never applied for any job in Bangalore or for that matter even in Hyderabad. The celebrations are not the same even in this part of the country anymore, people are too busy to be bothered. I still remember when I was in school, Holi used to be so much fun. It was customary to drag reluctant participants and paint them red and green. Nobody was spared.

I expected to see some action while traveling in Delhi metro. It was the week of Holi after all. Delhi metro officials were very strict with rules for people carrying colors. There were random groups which had girls and boys looking red and blue queuing up for security checks. Security staff would look through bags and request them not to use colors at the platforms.It seem to work with all, as I didn't see a single spot of color. On and off people were wishing security personnel, "Happy Holi", which earned them a smile in return but no allowance to carry colors in the train.  There were random sighting of people colored with dry colors or some who painted red.

I saw an old lady flanked by her husband and grandchildren boarding the ladies "exclusive" coach. The boys were not too happy being pushed into the ladies coach. Another guy and a girl followed them in the same coach. Old lady looked around to sneer at the guy, but the looks of the person made her stop. Somebody offered her a seat near the rear end of the coach. She sat and continued to stare at the individual. His appearance was not adhering to the norms, he had his hair gelled and styled neatly with a mop of hair strategically placed on the forehead. He wore a very tight graphic T-shirt and a pair of rugged jeans. His footwear wear was yellow in color. His small finger was long, painted red and he wore jewelery. His gestures were a little feminine when he conversed with his lady friend. They seem to discussing the color of the hair, shoes et all. Grand ma looked visibly upset.

There were some other guys in the adjoining coach who were also staring at the individual. The guy seemed to be used to stares for he payed no attention. It was not long before the boys started taking jibes at him. Somebody said, "He is standing at the right place, just in the middle of two bogie's. I am sure its difficult for him to decide between the ladies and men's coach". The whole group laughed heartily. Similar comments followed about his appearance, gestures, voice and every thing else. Grandma was sitting quietly seemingly unaware of her surrounding. All of a sudden she got up, held the guy by his arm and made him turn to face the group of rowdies. She spoke in a low voice to one of the boys, " What is your problem? If I see you pestering this guy here again, trust me to call the police at the next station. This boy  is not asking for any acceptance from you. Least you can do is to respect his individuality. How many of you would even dare to that. You should praise him for his courage which made him strong enough to brace his sexuality. One more word and I will make sure that you all are thrown out at the next station.".

People cheered for the lady and clapped. The boys got the message and got down when the metro stopped next. I heard her grandson exclaim, " That was cool....Dadi (Grandma)!!

Metro snag

Today was a bad morning to start with, woke up late and made to have bad food for breakfast. Worst was when I reached the metro station, I was early but still had to board a crowded metro. For a fleeting moment I was tempted to step out and wait for next metro, but decided against it. This decision made me thank my luck when I reached my destination more than 30 minutes late. It could have been worse. Nothing seemed abnormal when the metro started from the station but from the next station onwards it just refused to move. It so happened that the signals were not working properly on this particular route leading to metro snarls. So each station ride was almost 10 minutes long with the bombardier playing the message "There will be a delay in this metro ride. Inconvenience is regretted"' some 50 times. Someone needs to tell them it just not helpful to hear these messages repeated zillion times through a 60 minute journey.

I was not the only one feeling restless over this delay. Everyone was concerned about the delay, be it an office goer with stringent office timing or college student with plans to bunk college. Delays seldom happen in Delhi Metros, it reportedly has a 99% up time. But not everyone was complaining, there were people who jumped into the already crowded coaches just because they felt lucky to catch a stationed metro. It was very annoying to see people jamming in limited space.

Anyhow there is no metro ride which lacks an interesting event, I looked around and found almost everyone fretting over cell phones. Some were calling there offices and saying, "Vermaji please sign for me in the attendance register, I will be late. Metro has some problem, it has been standing here for past 20 minutes. No I don't know what is wrong. Please tune in to the FM channel to get some information". Well, I might disagree with 20 minutes station time, but had to agree FM is a good way to keep yourself informed.  There were some students who were worried about their classes, some of them were heard calling classmates. One boy was visibly upset, he complained to his friend, "What the hell man, I woke up early so that I could attend the class with Anjali, now I will be reaching college after she leaves. Life is very unfair. Anyway you attend the class and ensure my proxy attendance. I will try my luck next week again".  Well, if you ask me life is really unfair. Poor guy, God only knows how early he had to get up.

There was also a girl who was smiling at me, an odd thing in this scenario. But I soon realized she was whispering in the phone, well almost whispering. For some reasons people speak very loudly in metro, though there are people who whisper in such a manner you wonder if they are able to hear it themselves. Her voice was alternating between a whisper and loud conversations. She told the guy on the other end, "Metro is taking so long. We had planned it perfectly, nobody would have guessed we had all this planned. I started early just to be able to meet you there. Why do you have worry I keep meeting a lot of office people at the station. Just tell them your bus has changed the route. Why did you get into a relationship with me if you are not strong enough to face all this. Don't be a coward. I think I am braver one in this relationship". She almost threw the phone after disconnecting the call.

It's been more than 30 minutes and we were not even half way to Rajiv Chowk. Poor girl called her guy again, "I have a good news for you, I will take some more time to reach there. You can go ahead as I will be late to office. I hope you are happy now. Don't dare to talk to me again". That was one casualty of relationship which can be attributed to metro snag.

I reached office almost an hour and half late, my decision not to wait for another metro saved me some 45 minute delay. While going back I was told the time lag between two metros was almost 25 minutes for major part of the morning.

Well it wasn't a great start for the day, however, it was interesting enough!!!

Valentine saga

It being a Valentine's day, I imagined most of the girls will be carrying gifts and flowers. I am sure the crowded Delhi metro will not act as deterrent. I was not entirely disappointed, there were few girls with beautiful flowers with them. Today I was lucky enough to get a seat. Not very fond of this seat, its at the trailing end of the coach and often have lecherous men lurking around. The seat also has electrical charging points right at the top for mobile/laptop chargers. I met my namesake here who mumbled a "sorry" before hovering over me to plug in her mobile adapter. I noticed she had just cried, her face looked flushed and eyes brimming with tears. She was accompanied by another friend who was busy typing messages.

As usual I had a strong urge to play Agony aunt, but before I could say anything her friend looked up and said "What is wrong with my boyfriend calling you?". Technically everything, if you ask me; golden rule says 'no calling my girlfriends and certainly never late at night'. My namesake was annoyed by the question, "He called just to ask if I was talking to you. What is wrong with him?". Her friend said, "You know Anuj he is possessive, unlike my earlier boyfriends, he was not believing me. He told me that he has tried my number some 30 times in 40 minutes. So I asked him to call you and confirm. But why did you tell Rakesh that Anuj had called?". "That's because I felt it was funny , Rakesh would never do such a thing", replied my namesake. "Yes, that's why he fought with you and then called me tell Anuj is not supposed to call you?, said her friend. "If I were you I would have yelled back and would have decided against meeting him today. You are too soft on him. I guess he is your first boyfriend, I had many since school, I know how to handle them. I fought with Anuj yesterday and will not meet him today", she continued. My namesake retorted, "He is not my first boyfriend. He got me a very pretty dress for this Valentine and he is taking me to  'Ek Main Aur Ek Tu' evening show. That's a good enough reason for me". Her friend realized her loss, "How did he manage the tickets, Anuj has been trying for a while".

Just then her mobile rang, "Hi Anuj, no I am not upset with you. I was just messing around last night. Do you remember there is a sale at Select City Walk, let's go there today. We can also watch 'Ek Main Aur Ek Tu', everyone has seen it except us. You can at least try for getting the tickets".

My namesake seemed to have won this round. A triumphant testimony was in her playful pat on her friend's head while they got down at Saket metro station.

Faulty gates

Imagine your anxiety when the elevator door fails to open, I am not claustrophobic but I can get reasonably anxious. What if this happens to Delhi metro, not something you want to imagine. But this is exactly what happened. I boarded a train from my station, which was not very crowded  today. For the next seven stations everything was normal with no one trying dare devil stunts either (extremely rare, if you ask me). Then suddenly it happened at the next station. Metro was slowing down before approaching the station, it came to an abrupt halt just before the station. The stoppage time was unusually long. Metro resumed speed again and reached the station.  There was a customary announcement about the station name and need to "Mind the gap". But the doors didn't open. There were at least twenty passengers at each gate ready to board the train and a lesser number ready to disembark. Initially people were puzzled, looked like disoriented teenagers (well some of them are) who have not attended any kind of crisis management classes.

Not all doors were stuck, it was just the first boggie which had the malfunction. Rest of the coaches had their doors open up in time. Nevertheless ladies exclusive coach having a door malfunction is a perfect recipe for disaster.

The most interesting part was to hear what the ladies had to say on the incident. One passenger observed the problem is occurring due to regular interruption in gate functioning. She said, "Everyone wants to board the metro at the last moment. They don't care about their safety or damage to gate sensors". While somebody thought it was an electrical problem and there would be low voltage supply leading to circuit damages, others quipped about the low quality coaches (probably China imports!!). The most interesting explanation came from an old lady, she vouched its due the hard braking that drivers resort to, that the doors are jammed.

Listening to all these interesting theory, I realized it took almost 30 minutes to fix the problem. I was already late for my meeting and this was not very helping.

Random conversations

Conversations can be very interesting especially when you are not a participant. Overhearing is not an option in a Delhi metro, people make sure you listen to them. Occasionally they will throw a glance and expect your approval nods. Anyhow some of the idle chat can be interesting such as these excerpts:

Conversation 1
Girl 1: How is this new relationship like, I am sure he is a nice guy

Girl 2: I don't know too early to say anything, he treats me nice. It (read relationship) helps me get a status, attend great parties, great gifts, so I am not complaining

Girl 1: You sure have learnt some lessons from your last relationship. How can you sound so casual and unattached. Teach me these skills

Girl 2: There are no skills, I am just letting it be the way it is. Remember Dey?

Girl: Yes, best friend of your boyfriend. Wasn't he keen on you and wanted you to stay away from your boyfriend?

Girl 2: Yes, but things are different now. He feels my guy considers me really special, he has introduced me to all his friends and shared all his numbers. I have also met his family. Otherwise he uses one particular phone just to flirt around with girls

My take....world has not changed a bit....girls are still easy.....(I know you agree)!!

Conversation 2

Lady: Do you mind sitting properly, this is not a garden in your house

Girl: Well  I will sit like this, if you don't like it then you can stand outside the metro

Lady: You should know to talk properly, if not how to sit

Girl: This is the way I talk and there is absolutely no need for yelling at me. You are not my mom

Lady: If at all your mom taught you some manners, you would know how to treat your elders!

Girl: You should be more concerned about your children learning manners and spare me

Lady: Why is it so hard for you to behave yourself

Girl: Why can't you give up and stay quite. I am not used to be yelled at....this is giving me a headache early in the morning

Lady: I don't yell at everyone. You are a special case

Turns out this girl had a knee injury and had to stretch her leg. Being polite sometime pays, might have avoided this ugly encounter. 

My take....if you don't even have a smile to give, you must be very poor. 

Conversation 3

Dad: Hurry up, the doors will close you will get hurt

Little boy: But why are we going through here.....

Dad: I said, hurry up....

Little boy: I like the speed of the metro, its really fast....

Dad: Go and stand with your mom, hold her hand

Little boy: I will not go there, that is a "Girls" compartment....I am a boy, I will stand with you....

Did I see you smile....I couldn't help myself.

My take....kids are really smart, you can trust them to know all!!!