Familiar Strangers

Apr26
2009 7 Comments Written by Prasad

If you travel everyday in a Mumbai local, then you are bound to have certain trains (and their times) in your mind. For e.g – I take the 8.24 Churchgate Slow from Andheri in the morning, if I miss that, then there is the 8.45 Churchgate Slow and the 8.51 Churchgate Slow, etc.

Most of the people think in these terms, so its obvious that you keep on seeing the same people everyday in your trains. Its their train as well. The mousy faced fellow, the guy who keeps on playing on his Nokia N-series, the guy who carries the Milton dabba. You see them, you have placed them and even named them … but what you don’t do, is befriend them. Maybe over a period of time, the ice breaks and you become good friends, but that takes many a train journey. The strangest thing is – that when you see the same person anywhere out of this morning train context, you still recognize him … and you see that spark on recognition in their eyes as well. But, you don’t talk. Strange aint it?

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  • Amit

    This post keeps reminding me of movies like A Wednesday and Mumbai Meri Jaan… and I get sad.

  • Prasad

    Haven’t watched Mumbai meri jaan, but yes, I know what you mean .. but its true isnt it? We have our bubbles of space around us, so even in such a big crowd, we can be alone.

  • Rajat Swarup

    kaka…we don’t expect u to be inside a bubble :-)

  • aBhiShEk

    Damn right! And when you meet this stranger elsewhere, a smile creeps on your face!

  • Prasad

    Exactly mon ami :-) Thats what I am talking bout :)

  • maxmayur

    You made me nostalgic. I used to take the 8:1 Churchgate slow from Vileparle and this has happened with me too. But I did befriend a couple of college going guys then. They were studying in Chetna and all three of us got down at Bandra. I had an office in BKC then. We shared the ric for almost a month before I left the job.

    Sadly I do not have their contact details

  • Prasad

    @Mayur – yep, these familiar strangers that we keep on bumping in our every day lives. Its best not to have contact details :-)