Trains and Tribulations

               Today, my family and I decided to travel outside the confines of the Vasant Oscar complex in the suburbs of Mumbai where my dad’s family lives, and tour downtown Mumbai—where my aunt lives. We traveled there by taking a series of trains. My father has always had a special fondness for trains, funny as he grew up beside the train tracks and would theoretically have gotten quite tired of the squealing noises, horn-blowing beings. But instead, he developed a sort of obsession for the tracks and likes to take trains whenever possible. And Mumbai is a great city to have this obsession.

               Arguably the best contribution the British made to India, India’s railway system is one of the largest in the world and carries 14 million passengers every day (Associated Press). The British first proposed a train line in Madras, in 1832, but not until 1851 did the first train become operational. The first passenger train officially ran from Bombay to Thane in 1853. The British worked to establish organized train routes, particularly in those cities—Bombay, Kolkata, Delhi—where the lines would serve them well (“Indian Railways”). By Independence, a total of 42 railway systems had been established, including lines owned by the princely states. These lines were all amalgamated post-Independence as the Indian Railways (Kumar). The trains are beloved by many Indians, and train journeys are ubiquitous in pop culture. Pick any five well-known Bollywood film, and one of them is bound to have a train-journey/dance sequence.

Quintessential Indian movie train dance scene

Many foreigners seem to realize this too, such as the critical traveler Paul Theroux who based his novel, The Great Railway Bazaar, simply off of his train journey through India. Of course, in such an extensive train system, accidents are common, with most blame placed on poor maintenance and human error (“Indian Railways”). The trains are also the target of much terrorist violence, like the 2006 Mumbai train bombings that killed 186 people (“BBC News”).

               Nevertheless, trains are used by virtually all classes of Indian society; despite their danger and their problems, they are efficient and centrally located. Every city in the suburbs of Mumbai is bisected by a train station, thus the city of Mulund consists of Mulund East and Mulund West, the city of Dadar into Dadar East and Dadar West, and so on. Train stations are hubbubs of activity, with tea and snack hawkers, porters, and others mulling about. Their public bathrooms and protection from the elements also makes an ideal sleeping location for many homeless in the city. The varied activities that take place in a train station in fact almost make it a microcosm of the city as a whole—which is perhaps why Theroux decided to travel through India via rail?

               My personal train journey started in the Mulund train station. We stood in a long, hot queue of people to buy our tickets (7 rupees each, just pennies in U.S. currency), then quickly strode over to the tracks to wait for our train. Indian train compartments are extensively divided, perhaps reflective of multifaceted Indian class divisions. Overnight trains have three tiers of first class compartments with beds, air-conditioning, personal rooms, and delicious food service. “Sleeper class” provides travelers with foldable beds and fans to keep them cool. Many of the Indian middle-class travel via sleeper class. Lastly, the second-class train section is saved for the masses, for those who cannot afford to travel in any sort of comfort. They are provided wooden benches that quickly fill up. Local trains are not quite as divided; they have a first class, second class, and “Ladies Only” class.

               This may seem surprising and somewhat backward to the Western reader; how could a modern city like Mumbai still separates its men and women? In recent years, with the number of women joining the workforce greatly increasing, women have complained of much sexual harassment, lewd stares, and “eve-teasing” from men on trains. This discouraged many women from going out and traveling; to rectify this problem and to encourage women to keep traveling, the Indian government mandated a ladies only compartment. I can personally attest to the usefulness of this compartment. I have been the object of lewd stares, gestures, and pinches from men in India, and it is an unsettling and degrading experience. I love the Indian men in my family, and most of the Indian men I know personally would never dream of harassing women this way, but it seems to me that in public in India, behavior of this type from men somehow becomes acceptable and funny.

           In any case, Ladies Only compartments can get rather frustrating. On my own journey, my mother, sister, and I crammed into the Ladies' section while my father squeezed into the first-class compartment by himself. "Well, I guess it's better that I'm not jammed up against men," I thought to myself as I stood pressed into the side of the car, a woman's bangles pressing into me on one side and a woman's hair ornaments brushing into my face on the other side.