Platform surfing- circa 1986

 Platform surfing- circa 1986

If you are a Mumbaikar- chances are you have traveled by local train- western or central- don’t matter.
You have heard about train surfing where people are traveling on top of the train and precariously balancing so not to get electrocuted.
I am going to talk about platform surfing.....wonder what that could be? I shall explain..
Most hotel/restaurant workers toil 6 days a week, sometimes 7 if there is a need. Typical routine for a suburban resident working in Churchgate area establishments (or elsewhere) is to wake up hung over (not everyone, maybe some of the young and restless :-)). Now there is a mad rush to make it to work at 11.30am. This applies to people who work break shift. Lunch serving hours - 11.30a to 3.30p, Dinner - 6.30p to 12.30a. if you are lucky you got the full 3 hours of break…….anyways…
So, making it to work at 11.30am…... You take a balti bath or shower, find the cleanest clothes available and try to catch the bus or auto rickshaw to train station. Say if you are living in Bandra W and as soon as you enter it is Platform 1, and the churchgate fast ( bandra-dadar-bombay central- churchgate) arrives on platform 4. you have 2 choices, take the stairs with the sea of people or "Platform Surf". This takes pin point precision in many ways – 1. you dont want to be hit by a train, 2. you dont want to get caught doing it, 3. you dont want to get your hand or clothes dirty.
Lemme explain..As soon as you arrive at platform 1 look at the display for the arrival of churchgate fast on platform 4. now scan for trains arriving on platforms 1.2 and 3. If the coast is clear, take the last drag of your cigarette and toss it J, Jump off to the tracks on platform 1 and like a Derby horse take perfect strides to leap on to platform 2. You are halfway. Now look both sides on 3 and 4 and jump down from 3 and leap on to 4. Perfect 10, you nailed it. Now if you are blessed with long legs, chances are you can do this every single time and have no stains/rips on either your clothes or your hand. But for someone who is of a shorter stature ( wink-wink) unless you are really athletic, chances are you either end up putting you hands on the filthy platform floor or extending your arm for a stranger to pull you up ( props to mumbaikars, no one ever refuses.......now you know why I love mumbai.....the camaraderie and kinship..) I have been on the embarrassing end of this many a times, but once or twice a week....I found success.....small victories 🙂.
After work there is this mad rush to catch the 1 am Borivli local home. on a few occasions I have over-slept and missed my stop and ended up in Borivli yard. then to jump off the train and catch the all night bus from Borivli back to where I can catch a few hours of good sleep. only to repeat the same routine over……...