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The Delhi metro is arguably the most important element in a student’s life, especially when she needs to get to that 8 a.m. lecture. Read further for a guide to a more satisfying metro experience.

The metro is the most frequently used mode of transport for most of us students at the Delhi University, and for so many others. So much so that many of us spend long hours everyday on the metro itself. If this ride plays such a prominent role in our lives, it might as well be a rather satisfying experience, if not entirely pleasurable. To ensure this, we must understand and respect the personal space of those travelling with us.

  • Let’s begin with a very basic, yet overlooked issue- do not request people to make room on the bench when there clearly isn’t any. 

Everyone on the metro is already crammed up. There is no point fitting six people on a five-seater bench when no one is comfortable. Which brings me to my next point. If you can, please stand. Stop eyeing younger passengers into giving you their seats. They probably had a worse day than you. Be a little more compassionate towards us, please.

Note: For those of you standing and holding on to the handles for support, maybe try wearing a deodorant? I don’t blame you for having sweaty armpits; we live in Delhi, I’d be surprised if you didn’t. But now that you’re shoving it in so many faces, might as well be a little more considerate of the others around you. After the long, tiring days everyone goes through, sniffing at smelly armpits is really the last thing they need. 

  • Moving on, try to avoid too much PDA.

 I mean, call me orthodox but watching a couple snuggling up in a corner while having your own nose deep in your course book can be highly irksome (?). Sure you’re generating enough heat to warm up the entire metro in this winter season, but kindly spare all the single people out there. They don’t need this kind of negativity in their lives. 

  • Please do not throw up in the metro. 

Again, I understand, it’s a genuine problem. But you cannot ruin the already-melancholic mood of the metro, and then conveniently exit at the next stop. You don’t just throw up. If you feel icky, you get off at the next station and get yourself some medicines. But you don’t wait for it to get worse. It’s about your health only, you see? 

Now there are other issues to be kept in mind. 

  • Listen to Rini Khanna and Shami Narang when they ask you not to eat in the metro or play music.

Trust me, ketchup smells disgusting. We know you want to enjoy your burger to the fullest, but nobody wants to smell that ketchup. No offence, but you don’t even have the best taste in music. Man created earphones for a reason. Now is the right time to flaunt your airpods. 

There is so much you can do to while away your time in the metro while not encroaching upon anyone’s personal space (unless the metro is jam-packed, in which case you can only pray). So let’s try to make our journeys more peaceful and satisfying for all of us.

Feature Image Credits: Hitesh Kalra for DU Beat

Aditi Gutgutia

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A breakdown of the Aarey Forest conservation movement of Mumbai, in light of the current global climate crisis.

The Aarey Colony protests began on 5th October 2019, after the Bombay High Court (HC) allowed the Mumbai Metro to
cut nearly 2,500 trees to build a car shed for the new Mumbai Metro constructions in the vicinity. The HC’s move was in line with
a fine technicality that the Aarey Forest was not really a forest after all, but it was merely an urban cluster and hence it could
be felled for the purpose of establishing the Metro infrastructure. This move was met with severe backlash, as Mumbaikars
and green activists around the country opposed the felling of 2,500 trees that gave the much-needed respite from pollution
and heat to the residents of the colony.

The Mumbai Metro Rail Corporation Limited (MMRCL) began to cut down trees in the area merely hours after the HC order, at odd hours of night in another move that faced resistance from citizens and environmental activists. The Mumbai police arrested close to 29 people on the charges of allegedly obstructing and assaulting police personnel at this protest. Many people, including several celebrities, took to social media to express their support with the activists protesting in the Aarey Colony. After these events, a special hearing on the matter was scheduled with the Supreme Court (SC) and, as a result, Section 144 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) was implemented in Aarey Colony. Although lifted for the hearing, the section was later reimposed after the hearing.

The Apex Court, this past week, restrained authorities from cutting any more trees in Mumbai’s Aarey. A special bench comprising Justices Arun Mishra and Ashok Bhushan said that it would have to examine the entire matter closely, and it extended the date of the next hearing to 21st October, which would take place before its forest bench. The court also ordered the Mumbai Police to release all the activists who were arrested in the past two days.

The SC recorded an undertaking by the Maharashtra State Government, where it was assured that no more trees would be felled in Aarey. The SC observed that “…it appears that Aarey was some kind of forest at some time,” taking note of the 2012 Management Plan for the Sanjay Gandhi National Park, which describes Aarey as an unclassified forest.

The Court further lashed at the Maharashtra State Government,  “Tell us how many saplings you planted? How have they grown? What’s the status of your forests?” The Apex Court’s question came after the Mumbai Metro claimed that it had planted around 24,000 saplings to replace the trees it had cut in Aarey. The court asked the state authorities to also produce a mandatory afforestation report.

Rishav Ranjan — the law student whose letter to the Chief Justice of India, Ranjan Gogoi, was converted into a suo motu writ petition for the matter — has requested MMRCL Managing Director, Ashwini Bhide, to desist from any construction work in the area until the next SC hearing on 21st October.

Complex climate change situations necessitate nuanced interventions. However, for the most part, India has resorted to afforestation without consulting local communities or conducting serious impact assessment studies. In light of the latest global climate crisis, a Global Climate Risk Index released at the Katowice summit in Katowice, Poland, in 2018 showed that intense cyclones, excessive rainfall, and severe floods could make India and its neighbours among the worst affected countries in the world. This leads to the conclusion that afforestation is not enough. The
effects of climate change in tandem with the development agenda require a two-pronged, well-researched, and balanced
approach that needs to be initiated by the governments at grass-root levels.

Featured Image Credits: India Times

Bhavya Pandey
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The Delhi Cabinet finally passed the bill approving free travel for women in the Delhi Metro leading to multiple debates and discussions.

After about five months since the introduction of the Bill by the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) Government on 11th October, the Delhi Cabinet approved free travel for women in the metro in the national capital. This scheme, announced by Chief Minister Arvend Keijriwal on 3rd June, will be effective from 27th October 2019, the auspicious day of Diwali.

The cabinet approved a grant of INR 980 crore to the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) to implement the scheme. The cabinet also provided a grant of INR 7 crore to add 380 more feeder buses to the existing number of 194.

In certain studies, it is noted that in the Delhi Metro, women passengers account for almost 25-30 per cent. The average farebox revenue per rider was noted as INR 28, according to the annual report of the DMRC for the year 2018-19. This amounts to almost one-third of DMRC’s total revenue.

“I travel every day from Ghaziabad to South Campus via the metro, which amounts to roughly INR140 per day. A huge amount is spent by my parents every month on my travel expenses. They have been resentful towards the idea of sending my younger sister to a college far from home. This new scheme by the government has given my sister a new hope,” says Rasmila, a student at Jesus and Mary College.

The new scheme also provides a safer mode of transportation to women. “As of now, only 30 per cent of Metro commuters are women. The fare hike last year hit women the worst, forcing them to shift to more unsafe modes of transport like private buses, ride-sharing, or even walking. This move will help them return to the Metro’s safety,” says AAP’s Ashiti on her Twitter account.

However, despite all the support gained by a larger public, the scheme has also received a whole lot of criticism suggesting issues like overcrowding, or a probable drop in the quality of services due to erosion of DMRC funds. Some argue that the money that the Government wants to spend on free metro and bus travel should have been used to improve security infrastructure and uplift women safety in the city.

The idea of free public transport has been experimented across many cities around the globe in the USA and Europe like Germany, Belgium and France. The initiative was taken either for the entire population or for a few sections such as students or senior citizens. The reaction and impact on the use of private cars and increased use of public transport have been mixed.

There is huge anticipation regarding the final execution of this ground-breaking scheme. The effectiveness of the same can only be interpreted for now.

 

Disclaimer: Bazinga is our weekly column of almost believable fake news. It is only to be appreciated and not accepted!

 

Feature Image Credits: Hitesh Kalra for DU Beat

 

Aditi Gutgutia

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Early morning classes can kill you on the inside, and the weariness from attending five back-to-back lectures is enough for you to consider dropping out. But, the real heartbreak happens when your friends, who live on campus, make plans to go out at 8 p.m., and you can’t join in because travelling back home takes you two hours alone. In this moment, you truly feel the FOMO of not staying on campus.

Fresh out of the cages of you school life, college becomes synonymous to freedom and fun- to hours of hanging out with friends, to shop, and to go out to drink or eat. You feel unstoppable, the life at Delhi University is famously known for its leisure and easy accessibility to a number of trendy and hip hang-out spots.

And then you receive a churlish reality-check when you realise that travelling to college from places away from campus buries your dreams to the ground. By the time your friends make a plan to go out to eat at someplace you’ve all been dying to go to, you’re halfway across the city at Rajiv Chowk, suffocating with everybody else on the Blue-Line, making to your way to back to Noida, or getting off at IFFCO Chowk after hours of weary travel in a cramped metro with busted air conditioning. Even if plans are made when you’re in attendance, you are unable to join them because that going out with everybody at 6 p.m. means getting done by 8, which inevitable means  reaching home by 9. Assuming you don’t have a curfew, you still say no because boarding the metro during office hours is a person’s worst nightmare.

It is then that you realise that you’ll forever be the “responsible friend” when everyone is drinking, not because you do it out of the goodness of your heart, but because you have to. You know you have no other option- there’s no way you can travel in the metro while you’re wasted, and there’s no way your mother won’t call you once the clock strikes 7, if you decide to stay back and recuperate. It is always missing out on society meets, and then feeling like a slacker when you can’t attend impromptu training sessions because boarding the metro after 4 means hell. You will have to miss out on seminars and unpremeditated extra classes by professors who keep last minute extra classes, and don’t take into consideration that not everybody lives 20 minutes away from college. It is coming to terms that you’ll always, always be tired no matter how much you sleep and that you will need an entire Sunday to catch up on your week’s sleep.

You understand after the first week that your happening school-schedule of falling asleep at 2 a.m. will be going down the drain because you will start falling asleep at 10 p.m.- even before your parents-to wake up at 6 a.m. and feel like an old person. And lastly, it’s the feeling of wanting to abandon your ancestral roots of being non-violent and floor a person the moment they say, “just shift to campus na, yaar!”

Feature Image Credit: Ivy Marketing

Shreya Juyal

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The ladies coach of the Delhi metro is touted to be a safe space for women. However, an experience in the general coach brought the nuances of reservation and safe spaces for women in perspective. Read on to find out why.

After a tiring day at the college, all I wanted was a comforting nap in my only place of solace, the Metro. It had already arrived on the platform, so I rushed towards the ladies’ coach, only to land up in the general coach. It was crowded with almost no space to stand. Just then I saw a man sitting on the seat reserved for ladies in the general coach. I approached towards that seat, but as soon as I reached there, I decided not to take it.

My decision was based on a few observations I made during my experiences of travelling in the metro. The first one was the question which always came to my mind- Why do I need a reserved space as a woman? I could recollect the phrase “missing women” which was coined by Amartya Sen when he showed that in parts of the developing world, the ratio of women to men in the population is suspiciously low. The same case of missing women arises when it comes to women in public spaces. Because of the lack safe spaces for women, the women’s coach brings in a sense of comfort and is one of the safe spaces in the lives of women. Suppose there were no ladies coach on the Delhi metro, then maybe these “missing women” may disappear even further. As it is not always the case that women travel alone, there is the provision for reserved seats for women in the general coach. Therefore, these underlying problems make it very necessary for me and all other women to have a reserved safe space.

In another instance, I saw a woman in her twenties scolding a man to get up from his seat (which was not reserved), as if, he is obliged to show the chivalry she was expecting from him. But even if it was a reserved seat, on that very instance I had chaotic tension in my mind over my entitlement towards that reserved space. What defines my entitlement towards that seat? Is it my sex or is it because of the social hindrances I face that make me obliged to it? Women are the ones who are on the receiving end of social discrimination. But when I consider myself as an empowered and aware woman, I have to check my privilege of enfranchisement to this seat and chivalry I expect from men. When I say I need a safe space, I also imply that I would not use this boon to my advantage for a warranted chivalry to be shown by men.

Feminism and women empowerment are not just women’s issues. They are a collective of efforts by men and women to equalize opportunities for all.  The equalization will happen only when I don’t use my identity, but my social disadvantage due to the dysfunctional society.  My feminism stands for empowerment of women not because they are women, but because they faced the evils of the society as they are women. In a way I offered the seat to that man, and that made me feel empowered.

Feature Image Credits: DU Beat Archives

Sriya Rane

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Time spent travelling back and forth from college in metro is perhaps, the worst waste of time as a student. Here are a few suggestions to utilise that time better.

It is not new knowledge that students at the University of Delhi (DU) travel from far off places. We all have a friend (or are the friend) who comes from the peripheries of Noida, Gurgaon, Dwarka, and Ghaziabad in metros. Unfortunately, that also means that there’s almost a three-hour long travel waiting every day. The hours in the metro almost all go to waste. However, here are a few ways you can use your metro hours better-

  1. Read books:

It is rightly said that books are everyone’s best companion. Reading is not only a form of entertainment but also, an exercise for the brain. There are books on everything under the sun, be it on romance, or on how to become the next billionaire. Small book shops can also be found near Metro Stations, such as the one in front of the Vishwavidhayala metro station, where books are usually available at a much cheaper price.

Lenro Books Near Me

If carrying heavy books in your already heavy bag isn’t your thing, you can also invest in an E-Book reader, or download the various apps that are available to read on your phone. Not only are they convenient to use, but also usually provide books on heavy discounts.

  1.   Watch a TV show:

Through the various apps available for your phone, watching shows has never been easier. One of the easiest forms of entertainment, watching TV shows is a perfect way to pass your time and get into something new. Travel time provides the perfect opportunity for you to finally watch Sacred Games and shut up all the friends who’ve been asking you to watch it only to hear you say, “time kaha hai.”

Netflix, Amazon Prime, Hotstar, all provide a wide variety of content to download and binge on. Depending on how long your travel is, you could catch up on (or re-watch) the twenty-minute episodes of Friends or the hour-long Game of Thrones.

  1.   Listen to podcasts/audiobooks:

If you would rather prefer to gaze outside the window or observe the funny kid in the metro, you can do so while listening to podcasts. Recently gained popularity, podcasts are audio episodes which are recorded as a part of a series. There are podcasts on history, food, comedy, news, fashion, and practically everything else. Usually available for free, you can download apps specifically meant for podcasts or listen to them on music apps like iTunes or Spotify.

Image Credits:
Image Credits: Lopscoop

If you are into reading but don’t have the patience, you can also explore audiobooks, that has your favourite books read to you by someone. Takes less energy and can also make the story come alive, if read well.

  1.   Learn a new language:

You’ve perhaps been planning a backpacking trip in France and need to brush up on your French, or want to learn Japanese to understand your favourite anime better. What better time to finally learn a new language than in the metro? Apps like Duolingo have daily 10 to 20-minute tutorials where you can learn any language you want. Travel hours provide the perfect space for you to learn and practice new languages. And being multilingual is always an attractive trait!

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Image Credits: Indian Institute of Legal Studies
  1.   Finish your assignments and reading:

Contrary to popular opinion, hours in the metro can be used to finish your assignments and readings. It gives you an extra edge over your procrastinating self and you don’t have to slog much when you get back home. Use the travel time in the morning to finish the assignment you have to submit that very day and haven’t started yet. it can even be used to revise the morning before your exams. Not to forget, also leaves you feeling accomplished and productive for the day.

  1.   Sleep:

When nothing works out, sleep! Use this time to catch up on your precious sleep before you go back home and get back to work. Be mindful of your surroundings though, lest you end up missing your station, or worse, your wallet!

Feature Image Credits: DU Beat Archives

Satviki sanjay

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The Delhi University Teachers’ Association (DUTA) on Thursday, 12th September, raised its voice against the construction of a 39-storey high-rise housing society at the North Campus citing safety and privacy concerns.

DUTA has opposed the construction of a 39-storey building in North Campus saying it “would significantly alter the social and cultural landscape of Delhi University” and also compromise the “safety of women students”. The building is coming up adjacent to Vishwavidyalaya Metro Station, near Gate Number 3 and 4. DUTA also stated that the land originally belonged to the Ministry of Defence and was acquired for public purpose by the state government for the construction of metro station by Delhi Municipal Rail Corporation (DMRC).

Consequently, the DMRC sold two-thirds of this land by granting perpetual lease of ninety years to a private builder called ‘Young India’, in the guise of property development and by changing the land use from “public and semi-public facility to residential”, the DUTA alleged.

Sudhanshu Kumar, the Vice President of DUTA, stated, “This is the height of privatisation. It (building) would seriously compromise the safety and privacy of women students on campus as it stands in close proximity to several hostels that house women. It would also pose a serious safety issues for all students on campus, restricting their right to move freely in their own campus. It is clearly a ghotala committed by the State Government, DMRC and ‘Young India’.”

DU had also written to the Prime Minister’s Office, the Home Ministry, as well as the Ministery of Defence on this matter. Officials said that the proposed building is not viable keeping in mind security concerns for the North Campus students, since the building will have a bird’s-eye view of five of the girls’ hostels on the campus – Miranda House Girls’ Hostel, the Central Institute of Education, University Hostel for Women, Meghdoot Girls Hostel and the Girls’ Hostel of the Department of Social Work; apart from several other University buildings.

They said that there is already a severe paucity of spaces for students on campus, for their accommodation, recreation and for other academic activities and the use of this space for a residential complex is questionable in its intent. The Association has also notified that it “will take up the matter with the President of India, who is the visitor to the University”, in conversation with the Dainik Jagran.

Meanwhile, women living in the varsity’s 20 hostels have written a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, raising concerns over the construction of the high-rise building in the campus, saying that it will “infringe their privacy” and “prejudice the security” of students.

Image Caption: Female students, living in the campus’s 20 hostels, have written a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi raising concerns over the construction of the high-rise building in Campus. Image Credits: Jagran Media
Image Caption: Female students, living in the campus’s 20 hostels, have written a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi raising concerns over the construction of the high-rise building in Campus.
Image Credits: Jagran Media

The letter reads, “…it (the construction of the structure) would directly infringe the privacy of all the women’s hostel in close proximity to the land, it would prejudice the security of the students who attend departments and colleges in North Campus, since being a private structure the activities that will take place in the building will not be open to public censoring and if such a building is to be constructed in the University area, it would curtail the students’ freedom to move around the campus…”

DU also insists that the construction of this building will come in the way of the Master Plan of Delhi, 2021, that has been envisaged for the city’s infrastructure. Moreover, according to the documents accessed by Mail Today, 228 trees have been felled for the construction of this building.

Feature Image Credits: DU Beat Archives

 

Bhavya Pandey

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Bhagyashree Chatterjee

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Services on the busy Yellow Line came to a standstill when several of the members climbed down on metro tracks.

NSUI (National Students’ Union of India), Monday blocked the metro tracks at North Campus’ Vishwavidyalya station, protesting the incessant hike in metro fares. Several members of the Union protested, and the trains were stopped for 30 minutes.

The students raised slogans against Narendra Modi, and Arvind Kejriwal alike, claiming that the government at the State, as well as the Centre,  do nothing but pass the blame on each other.

They are also protesting for the introduction for a students’ pass for the metro, as is the case with DTC (Delhi Transport Corporation).

The Delhi Congress then tweeted a video of the same protest and stating that NSUI’s Delhi President, Akshay Lakra led the group, and expressed the party’s support to the cause of their youth-wing. “They (the governments at the Centre and the State) have been a failure in handling the Delhi Metro and now they are inaugurating the Ahmedabad Metro,” Lakra held, “Until the approval is given for metro passes, the NSUI will keep protesting.”

Even last year, NSUI had protested in a similar fashion to press for their demands. The members were later removed from the tracks and handed over to the police, and the train services restored.

Thirteen protesters were detained and brought to Kashmere Gate Metro police station. A case was registered against the members of the Congress’ student wing under relevant sections of the DMRC Act, 2002 and the hearing will take place in the Tis Hazari court on March 6, police confirmed.

When asked about the method of the protest, and the inconvenience caused, the NSUI said, “Our protest is peaceful and disciplined and we are waiting for a response from the authority. We have been trying to get in touch with Kailash Gehlot, the transport minister, and his refusal in meeting us forced us to take this step.”

Speaking to DU Beat, NSUI Media Secretary, Saimon Farooqui said that NSUI’s protest against the rising price of metro and demand for metro fare concession passes is a cause that will benefit the Delhi University student community. “We will continue our fight and protest again if the government does not fulfil our demands,” he added.

(With inputs from the Indian Express)

Image Credits: DU Beat archives

Maumil Mehraj

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Agla Station Rajiv Chowk Hain,an automated voice speaks in a manner calm and composed unlike the ambience in the metro coach. Everyone in the trainthe office goers with their laptop bags and dark circles,  rucksack wearing tourists, WhatsApp addicted aunties in sarees, and college students like myselfbraces for impact as within seconds, chaos is about to be unleashed.

“Doors will open to the right,” the deep baritone of a woman echoes through the speakers like a war cry from a conch shell. The situation gets more intense and beads of perspiration appear on my forehead. As soon as the gates open, it indeed feels like a battle with people kicking, elbowing, pushing, and pulling each other as they struggle to get in and out coach. I feel like a lifeless rag doll dragging my sorry self to some corner trying to avoid the bulls charging at me. It’s another day of travelling by Delhi Metro.

I have had a bittersweet relationship with the Delhi Metro, a part of my daily life. I  start my day by opening my arms wide in Shahrukh Khan’s signature pose at the security check. Then I slide down the escalator and skid my feet towards the airport express line. After reaching the bustling New Delhi metro station, I travel by the yellow line.

The Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) includes several routes like the yellow line, blue line, violet line and the airport express. The airport express is the Barry Allen of metro lines, the fastest in the DMRC. It somewhat feels like an elitist ride as it is fast and has proper seats with elbow rests. In sharp contrast to this, my friends are accustomed to creepy stares from strangers while travelling by the yellow line (which just includes two rows of seats in each coach facing each other). Obviously, the elitist ride costs more (INR 50) than your normal metro journey.

Now let’s talk about general metro rules. The brains of Indians (especially that of Delhiites) are renowned for lacking basic civic sense and adherence to rules. Indians in the metro are no exception. When the gates open at every station, basic courtesy requires you to stand at the sides, allow the passengers to come out in a proper fashion and then subtly step in. But subtleness and courtesy seem like a far cry from typical metro behaviour. Outside every gate, there are printed words on the floor which read, “Let the passengers alight first”. But everyone seems to be in a rush. The blokes at the platform stand right at the doors facing the blokes who want to get down and this ends up looking like a wild rugby match, an elaborate dance of bumping heads and trembling hands. This is particularly true in the case of extremely crowded stations like the famous Rajiv Chowk metro station and Kashmere Gate metro station. If my train halts at these stations, I breathe a sigh of relief as I see multitudes of passengers set foot to the outside world. However, this feeling is short-lived as five odd seconds later, the absence of the crowd gets compensated. An equally large number of commuters rush inside and it feels like I just had a delusion of an empty coach. It is, therefore, safe to conclude that after China, India and ‘Friendzone’, the zone with the highest population in the world might be Rajiv Chowk metro station.

Another rule prohibits eating and drinking inside the metro. Although it seems like a minor rule, I still choose to be a hardcore law-abiding citizen. I remember that I did break the rule one evening when I opened a packet of nachos to feed my famished stomach. Another day, a lady sitting next to me opened her large lunchbox which had a shade of bright pink that made me cringe. Then shifting my eyes towards my phone screen, I tried not to bother. But my nose got triggered in an instant. The reason for my nostrils yelling for help was because the lady was eating a sandwich which had a lot of raw onion slices stuffed inside. If I was ever a Superman, I’m sure onions would be my ‘Kryptonite’ because I just hate them.  Basically, the onions in this sandwich were so smelly that I was about to faint. There were no more empty seats in the metro so I just got up and stood near the door as that seemed like a better option. That day, I understood the actual reason why the DMRC had framed the ‘no eating’ rule.

The Metro is a lifeline for the majority of the wildlings of the urban jungle called Delhi. E Shreedharan, a man credited for setting up the metro lines in Delhi, earned the sobriquet “Metro Man”. No wonder that he was once considered as a Presidential candidate by the BJP. The network connects people and despite the little issues and moments of mayhem, I feel a sense of belonging to these trains. Apart from Connaught Place, momos, and unruly traffic, what characterises Delhi best is the Metro. Now I should better stop writing because the man with the heavy voice on the speaker is resuming his announcement, saying “Next station is Kashmere Gate”.

 

Feature Image Credits: Diwas Bisht (Behance)

Shaurya Singh Thapa

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The Delhi metro has helped students through hard times and good times. Snaking through the vast corridors of the state, it has become more than just a means of transport.

For students, the presence of Delhi metro has been a boon. We have now started to spend more time underground than above the ground, happy in our moleskins. No, it is not a place for Pritam and his band to sing romantic songs, and it is not a place for Amitabh Bachchan to let out his inner child in front of his ‘father’. It is our commute, our lifeline. The Delhi metro has served many purposes for the average student of the University of Delhi (DU) since its beginning. Despite helping students beat the strenuous Delhi traffic, the Delhi metro has many other amenities to cater to students. The Vishwavidyalaya metro station’s cheap INR 50 earphones become necessities; copies, books, earrings, and food are readily available right at the metro stations. Not to mention the utility of the bicycles for use on a leisurely day around the campus.

College students spend a substantial amount of time commuting in the metro. The average, broke DU student can hardly afford the luxury of an Uber cab. For the lucky few off-campus students, the metro sometimes serves the purpose of not just connectivity, but also as a completely acceptable excuse to be late to class, on the days the usually punctual metro is confronted with a technical snag.

For a few of us, the metro is also about chance encounters. We meet new people every day, whether it is that jhola-carrying cute guy who asked you what you are reading, or the aunty who threw you dirty looks for rocking out to AC/DC. The metro is a host of characters, and mingling with them is our very own capsule.

Recent expansion in the metro will prove to be more helpful in bridging the north-south divide. The 21.56 km stretch of the Pink Line which is operational now connects the North and South campuses of Delhi University, which would reduce the travel time to 40 minutes. The line also connects 12 stations and the Blue, Yellow, Red, and Airport metro lines. In December 2017, the Prime Minister opened a section of the Magenta Line connecting the Kalkaji Mandir metro station to Botanical Garden in Noida. The Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) is hence slowly expanding and is expected to cover 700 kilometres in a few years as per the Union Minister Hardeep Singh Puri.

 

Feature Image Credits: India Today.

Sara Sohail

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