1

IN A QUANTUM OF SPACE

2Nestled in the midst of sea of people where one stands by both his feet and hands
3restraint by countless pair of limbs occupying the finite space of a railway
4passenger car where two to three hands are clutching onto an evenly spaced array
5of supports suspended through the steel cylindrical pipes running throughout
6overhead and feet holding onto a particular posture, cramming up as soon as you
7get a push from the nearby passenger, I realized the unabashed beauty of
8travelling in a local of Bombay. The sophistication of the organization in the
9chaotic mess of the thousands of people pouring in and climbing down. The fabric
10of inter-connectivity and the inter-distribution of space is remarkable. As soon as
11some passengers climb down from the railway car that space unoccupied is evenly
12distributed and occupied by countless people from one entry to exit point
13spreading throughout the aisle, people self organizing themselves, if their stop is a
14little far away then at this moment they realize the flexibility and adaptability of
15the human body, the ability of every human body to adjust in the minimal
16breathing space surrounded by innumerable sapiens breathing, resting, talking
17and sometimes being in pugnacious disposition to protect their own, creates an
18ephemeral space to let them pass to the inner parts of the car with their heavy
19fifteen kilos of luggage each person helping and supporting him and his luggage
20to make his journey from the entry to the aisle less dreadful and the others sitting
21on their seat helping the luggage to reach the rack on the top of their seats. It
22clearly exemplified in a matter of minutes, the sophistication in co-operation,
23generosity and support which is given to each other by every passenger travelling
24in the local of Bombay whether it is some tourist, servant, middle class employee,
25farmers, peasants, slum dweller or students. They work together to make their
26journey in the city of gold comfortable while living in the most excruciating
27conditions of all.
28While travelling in the Mumbai local one can easily gain knowledge about the city
29and its denizens. My journey used to begin from CBD belapur station, one of a
30kind, in its superiority and simplicity, unique in its presence that could easily
31make someone awestruck. The station lies under a gargantuan brutal concrete
32building which shelters the totality of a railway train under its floor plates,
33becomes immaculately white under rays emanating from the sun. The
34minimalism, symmetry and its gargantuan form, exhibits the lines of corridors

35and balconies originating from one of the its brutal concrete form and ending on
36the other punctuated by the longitudinal rising towers from the ground
37functioning as the service blocks punctured with numerous minuscule windows in
38hexagonal patterns to let it breathe and let light in its monumental persona. The
39station has four platforms out of which 3 platforms were spick and span but the
40other one was being constructed or renovated which was letting the the dust fly
41through other platforms making the impatient irritated. I often used to travel in
42the local at the mercy of others who would guide me and concoct a clever travel
43course avoiding roadways and landing me to the nearest station of my
44destination. Often I had to change locals at Kurla Junction, if a train used to get
45late by five minutes I was able to discern the humongous size of population in
46India. One moment there are fifty people standing at the platform waiting for the
47train and after five minutes I could see the numbers rising arithmetically to
48exponentially. The arrival of trains used to invigorate people and many would try
49to leap into the train before it tries to stop. Me being a delhiite used to remember
50Rajeev Chowk which was way less crowded and never posed a threat to my safety.
51Seeing the impenetrable barrier of heads, bags and legs was intimidating in the
52beginning to step onto the train which was already filled with people to its
53maximum capacity but after sometime realizing the flexibility and the
54adaptability of human body I used to jump in the train hanging around the door
55clenching onto a pole and breathing in the air of Mumbai at 60-70 km/h, the
56rides transformed into a thrilling adventure often having its ups and downs, the
57ups being the freedom and hanging freely in mid air and downs being pushed
58away by the stampede of impatient people.
59The refulgent contrast between the exceptional and the familiar was astonishing
60during the local rides. Hanging by the door I used to gaze outside the local. My
61dearest of all was when the train used to pass through the creek: I could feel the
62moistness in the air even before visually establishing the position of the creek.
63The sight was eye-pleasing as the water shimmered in the sunlight for mere three
64minutes, while beholding the limitless extent of blue the green color gradually
65rose from the banks to the thick trees. The politeness in the expression of the
66picturesque scape was a reflection of the warmth in a lover's smile.
67The evanescent pleasantness of the nature's beauty used to dissolve with the
68gleaming facade of Mumbai which is a mosaic of slums/ informal settlements and
69vertical upright affluent towers kissing the sky, resonating with the global

70standards. The passing slums were the invention of need, poverty and the
71struggle for survival in the city of dreams. Often I saw the ingenuity in their
72construction techniques and the judicious use of materials in making their
73shelters habitable. Plastics, polythene, shipping containers, wood, brick, concrete
74and bamboo used to form the modules of dwellings incongruously. Mothers
75would be bathing their children near the railway tracks, people used to be sitting
76and lying on foldable beds bathing in the sun. Men would be brushing their teeth,
77having warm tea, reading local newspapers. Group of teenagers menacing,
78bickering, laughing and hugging. These sights were ubiquitous with squalor and
79filth. I guessed they found their way to happiness living in amidst of indigent
80lifestyle which was inspiring and motivating in certain aspects.
81Adjacent to these were the high rise apartments and banners promising a new
82and bright future with the unparalleled lifestyle and facilities designed and
83crafted by multinational corporations. The gleaming disparity between the rich
84and the poor was at times acrid but it had its purpose: to continue to contribute
85towards the endless chain of supply and demand. The reflecting glass towers felt
86atypical, sprouting from the ground like a palm tree in arid dryland areas, if
87anyone would consider looking at Mumbai from the spectacles of the
88disadvantaged. At times, I was alienated but was reminded that this staggering
89metropolis is the financial capital of our nation provoking the visions of
90exocoticism and outlandish grandeur. In the midst of this, there were incalculable
91dilapidated housing structures in which windows were caged and were used to tie
92ropes from one end to another to dry clothes, the extra space created within was
93used to store cardboard boxes, wooden stools or some old damaged furniture,
94some people used to put their flowers and plants to add a color of green behind
95the brown rusty cages to make it the more vibrant.
96In the modicum of happiness and delight I used to blend into my pensive
97thoughts of realization that how democratic and republic this quantum of space
98is, where caste and creed has no role, everyone is equal and support each other.
99Each person felt the press of two bodies but were always placid with every force of
100uprooting them from their position. Once I was sitting, a man accidently brushed
101his foot with mine, barely noticeable, touched my knee and then his chest with his
102fingers, in the gesture for an apology for his act. Sometimes I saw old people
103playing with children of others to make them calm in the disheveled movement of

104people entering and exiting. I saw people from different segments of society
105taking turns to sit and guiding and helping others in providing them with
106useful information, travelling fares and their wisdom lying in depths of their soul.
107I was a stranger to this city but people gave me their respect and conversed to me
108as if I was their own. My journeys used to end every night, etching the beauty of
109talking to countless strangers who invested in me, making me understand the
110blueprint of the city and the role of vice and virtue has played in shaping the city.
111The conversations ended with affectionate camaraderie ceaselessly given to me
112 by strangers who became memorable friends. It is surprising at times when I
113look back and see the extent of humanity I felt in that Quantum of Space
114