Mumbai is
incredible! Probably an understatement, I know. People of Mumbai are
extreeeeeeeeeeeeeeeemely helpful. Like, they would go out of their way to help
you. I am sure everyone who has been to Mumbai has plenty of examples to cite.
Let me give a few.
Location: Vile Parle
station, 8:15 pm
I am standing on the
foot over bridge holding a suitcase, looking for the ticket counter. Strangely
I couldn’t find one at the entrance. I look around for one on the bridge, and
could not find one. I think, okay, not like Kalyan, fine. I ask a lady to point
me to the ticket counter. She tells me that it is not exactly nearby, and you
have to walk the length of the platform to the opposite end of the station. I
looked at my watch and the indicator, which showed the timing of the next
train. 3 minutes. No way I make it. Not that it mattered, since there would be
one in 3 minutes. So I prepare to walk the platform, without a ticket, and risk
a TC catching me. But the lady stops me and says she can help. I tell her, it
is okay, and she will probably miss her train. But she was adamant, and opened
her purse to find the SmartCard and walked over to the ATVM to print a ticket.
Mind you this is peak time on the Western line. Huge rush expected. In
addition, she probably was a mother who had to get home to prepare food for her
husband or kids. If she misses her train, who knows how much time she loses?
(Recently I had my time wasted, so I know how much it means to have your time
wasted) But even with the risk of missing her train, she printed me a ticket,
so that it won't be an inconvenience for me! I just hope she didn’t miss her
train, and I didn’t cause her much trouble. You know what the incredible thing
is? Anyone who I asked for help would have reacted the same way. Hell, even I
have helped people like that.
Location: local
train, can't see the time.
I am standing on
barely a leg, squeezed on all sides by people. I don’t complain, I know how it
is. Some people do complain all the time, and shout cusswords all the time. But
most of them are quite calm and composed. Mind you, these are people who start
their day at 5 am, travel 4 hours per day and
usually end their work days by 10 pm. By the time they get home, kids are
usually tired and fast asleep. Such people, who are already dead tired, find
ways to help you and everyone. So, there was a guy who was looking very down,
and weak. I thought maybe tired, maybe he had a long day. A guy standing next
to him, was asking everyone if they had water. It turns out, that nobody had
water. Out of a 100 people in the radius of 2 meters, nobody had water. They
guy asked me, and I indicated to him, I had water, but I won't be able to give
it to him immediately, due to my situation.(Hope you understand) When the crowd
thinned, I got my bottle out and give it to him. To my surprise, he gave the
bottle to the first tired guy. When the tired guy had his fill, he quenched his
thirst. Not just me, even others were surprised. Apparently he did not know the
tired guy, the tired guy was no relation of his, just two total random
strangers. He explained that the tired guy was having some problem and asked
for water a couple of times, and then stopped. Then he started asking around
for the tired guy! This guy then went on his way, and the tired guy got down
with me. He thanked me, and had some good words for the other guy as well! How
awesome is that!
I witnessed just two
examples of helpfulness by Mumbaikars. But I am sure, there were a million
other incidents of Mumbaikars helping each other on that day. Not just on that
day, every day. That lady and the guy probably went to sleep feeling a little better.
Mumbai is absolutely
incredible. Just no words!
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