Ten ways to spend your travel time in Delhi metro

Amid the tall buildings, chasing cars and hustle and bustle of the city of New Delhi, the Delhi metro has become rather, what we call the lifeline of the city. As millions of people travel from one end to the other via the tube, it also has its own pros and cons to offer. Following are the ten unique ways one could think of to spend time while traveling in the Delhi metro.

1. Plug in some music, plug out the world!

Plug in your pair of ear phones, play some cool music, sing along with all the expressions. Tap your feet, nod your head, pace the nods up and down in sync with the beats of music and enjoy metro partying.

2. Eavesdrop on conversations

That middle aged man who is probably yelling at someone on phone,but his voice reaches couple of adjoining compartments. The agitated wives complaining about mother in laws and fighting with husbands on phone, the young couples flirting using cheesy pick up lines or the group of ‘cool’ college students apparently having loud fun.

Try overhearing or not, the voices shall fall on your eardrums and irritate, no matter what!

3. Get used to casual lies and casual fights!

Don’t be surprised if the people in your coach are ready to fight at the slightest instigation, an unintentional push or a lame argument. The weather here is so, the blood of people is always ready to boil.

Neither be surprised as you hear people say on phone, “Yeah! I’m at Rajiv Chowk”, when they are actually not past Saket. Yes, no one would ever tell their exact location, that’s like the trend. Get immune to it and learn fast!

4. Unleash the mathematician in you!

Count the number of stations you’ve covered and the time taken. Then count the number of stations left until you reach your destination, multiply it with the time taken per station, and calculate total time you’re supposed to be doing practically nothing. Measure the accuracy of your estimated calculation once you alight and feel proud.

When bored of this, next time count the number of people in your coach, frequency of people boarding and deboarding etc.

5. Hone your observation and deduction skills

Observe the people traveling with you in the metro and try thinking about their stories, everyone has a story after all. The mustached man digging his face in the latest edition of TOI, the man who dozed off with a gaping mouth, the students studying for exams like it is the end of the world, everyone has a story of their own.

Smile, sit back and think.Yes.

6. Sleep!

Once when you completely get tired of sticking on to the moron maroon plastic thing, put your head down, acknowledge that you are tired, and give the body a rest with a power nap.

7. Strike random conversations with strangers

Your fellow passengers are all sailing in the same boat as yourself. Be nice to them, occasionally smile and strike up a conversation about the sun, the moon, the oilfields. Tell them what do you think about the Achche Din. You could seriously try your hand at date picking/ match making too, you never know, it might just happen.

8. Unleash the poet in you!

After all the desperate attempts of finding a seat, stand by the door and gaze outside from the window. Tell yourself, ‘What is life if full of care, we have no time to stand and stare’. As you see the amazing beauty of under construction buildings, packed houses, chasing cars and crowded markets, say to yourself ‘for men may come and men may go, but life goes on forever’.

PS- Don’t try in case of underground metro stations, you’ll be nothing but disappointed.

9. Here, are you the short one?

Are you the short/medium height Delhi metro commuter, and are sick of running into pot bellies and sweaty armpits in this scorching summer? Well, all you could do to get rid of this torturous predicament is to stay active and pounce upon a seat the moment someone’s body language indicates a soon-to-happen vacancy. If that’s not possible, well then, wait for the summer to get over. Count the days, and brace yourselves!

10. Be the dead man walking!

Not many people do it, but certainly one of my favorite ways to kill time in the metro. Keep walking, wandering aimlessly listening to music, from one end to the other, there are chances you might meet someone you know to talk to, unless that person ignores you thinking you are crazy too. (Of course others will!)