A Rainy Mumbai Evening...

It was a rainy Mumbai evening. As the local train laboured itself into the station, a whole lot of people, in varying stages of being dunked by the Almighty lunged themselves towards it, in full faith that the one before & the one after them in the melee would ensure that they get in. As the train started to move away from the platform the tensed muscles eased a little & the ‘inmates’ started to settle in.


Understandably, the doors & windows were fastened lest the rain water gets in. It was very hot & musty as the drenched brushed against those who were lucky enough to save themselves from getting wet in the rain.


I looked up as a drop of cold water plopped on my hand from a bystander’s umbrella. She smiled to me & I smiled back – it will get better at the next major station.


The in-train announcement confirmed that we were approaching & the heavy iron doors were pushed open to a welcoming gush of breeze & a mass exodus of people. The breeze brought along with itself, a shower of tiny droplets & 3 little street urchins – 2 little boys & a little girl.


One of the co passengers was quick to ask them to alight – but to no avail. One of the boys, only marginally elder to the other two, dangled on the pole at the compartment door for a few seconds, & the train was moving again. He made the two little ones perch safely at the door itself & placed a huge poly-bag between them and the exit steps. A little while hence, the two were fighting over a snakes & ladders board they had fished out of the bag.


The erstwhile co-passenger, who was intent on shooing the kids away, stood smiling as they asked the elder kid to arbitrate which snake was bigger in length. To my surprise, they were comparing the difference in the numbers at the head & tail of the snake instead of the visible length. Maybe, something in the free education scheme was actually going right.


Oblivious to us all, the kids in their tattered clothes & shoeless feet sat counting numbers from 1 to 100 on the metal board. I sat there & wondered at their gleeful innocence even as the winds lashed in with fistfuls of mirth.