Every generation has their trademarks. For that 60s generation of the DUite, it was bell bottoms and bouffant. And then in the 70s, it was Marxism and Uspecials.
Fast forward to the post Y2K decade. It’s about the Metro. A lot about the Metro, in politically correct speaking.
Ever since we started going to college, the Metro has been an inevitable part of our lives. For the north DUite, its arterial transport to campus. For the south DUite, it’s the principal bridge between north and south, literally. As I see it, the Delhi Metro has more to it than functioning as a mere mode of transport. It is in fact, a microcosm of people, an interesting milieu of human beings from all walks of life. One meets students from across the spectrum, would be doctors, soon to be scientists and future entrepreneurs. You don’t know all, yet you feel attached in one way or the other, it’s an intrinsic sense of belonging you feel with the Metro, which is intangible. As the 8 am metro silently glides its way from the platform, it is interesting to note the subsequent scenes that unfold until the Vishvavidyalaya station is reached. On an average DU day, you will see the nerds burying themselves into books, preparing for the next tutorial. You would also notice the freshers discussing the “crowd” in college; if you are (un)lucky enough to be seated next to a gang of animated girls, you may overhear bits of stimulating gossip too. Of course, there are the usual cliques, so omnipresent, that you almost feel that you are one of them. Gay banter, loud guffaws and random college talk, there is much to look forward to. There is also the fair share of first time Metro commuters who are as baffled and befuddled by the whole system as pre schoolers are about school. Metro travel offers a lot of food for thought, if you know what I mean.
There are friends who are waiting for friends at the platform. Many stairways, escalators and paces later, they finally meet! The blend of humanity that the Metro harbors within those few coaches is simply amazing. On a normal day I mostly manage to acknowledge at least one random acquaintance that I had met ages ago (or had never met) within the Delhi metro.
Social networking, albeit of a different kind. Fascinating, if you ask me.
Comments are closed.