The Metro Isn't All That Bad After-all

Spending 3  hours a day, 5 days a week commuting in the metro surely has its cons. The technical snags, overcrowded coaches, unwanted looks and comments and people fighting over a seat do not figure in my to-experience list. But I've grown to really like the metro journeys, mostly. 

Firstly it's perfect for catching up on some lost reading time if you're travelling alone. If not then it gives you time for that one serious, long conversation or many light short ones. The only place that beats the metro for the long conversations is a relatively uncrowded metro station. Eat and chat.

If you manage to actually get a seat, specially a corner one it's perfect for a siesta. Also it means that you're either really swift or really lucky. When I'm rushing from college to a dance class this is where I get a break.

Observe people. When you're bored just look around. You'll find one person reading 50 Shades of Grey and another one reading Chowringee(which by the way is a really good book) and you can't help but judge them. Then there'll be that one guy busy acting like a rock star who doesn't realise that the music is blaring from his phone, so people know that he's listening to Honey Singh and not Metallica.

Also, I think it's a great chance to know what's happening in the city. There will be enough people talking loudly about an upcoming event or a great new food joint. You'll hear about everything from a DU fest star night to a crazy sale. On the downside you'll also have to brave people talking about pointless things and whining, a lot!

Now 2 of my favorites: meeting new people and running into old friends. I love running into acquaintances and friends. Talk  for 10 minutes, catch up on the highlights of what's going on with the other person and that's about it. The funny thing is it almost always ends with "let's meet up sometime soon" and rarely does that happen.

And now for the last one on this list. Sometimes you meet people in the metro, find some common ground and interact with them. You don't know them, you may never see them again but that one metro journey becomes memorable.

Once when I was going home after watching a play, someone else who was also there recognised me and we started talking about the play. This person was a part of the National School of Drama team and had been closely associated with the production of that play. It was a short but interesting conversation.

This one time on my way to college the girl sitting next to me and I were both reading the same book, Inferno by Dan Brown. When we realised this we starting discussing the book and it's author. My usually long journey to Rajiv Chowk seemed to last for quite a short while that day.

Another time on my way back home, a really interesting guy came and sat next to me. You could hear somewhat faintly, good music playing from the huge headphones that rested on his curly black hair. Thankfully he could pull of the goatee he had decided to sport and he carried a guitar case in one hand and a sketchbook in the other. He started working on an incomplete monochrome sketch in red. I personally hate it when people stare at the book I'm reading but this time I couldn't take my eyes off that sketchbook. He noticed and I let him know that usually I wouldn't stare like that. We got talking for about 10-15 mins, during which time I got to know that he was working on a poster about city life. We talked about his art and music, my dance and not very successful attempt at learning how to play the guitar. He asked me to be careful while travelling late and I de-boarded.

I'm not saying that the metro is a magical place. Honestly, there are days when i absolutely hate it. But if you look beyond the technical snags, overcrowded coaches, unwanted looks and comments and people fighting over a seat, it isn't all that bad after-all.