The Metro jaunt

A visit to Rajouri Gardens was on the cards: an official trip. I discovered that instead of dreading the almost two hour drive to that god-forsaken place, I was actually looking forward to it. The reason wasn’t far to seek. I planned to take the metro.

Live as we do in Noida, opportunities to take joy rides on the metro are few and far between. That’s why it’s with great keenness that such occasions are welcomed. So the plans were made and I set out to the new Yamuna Bank station as close to whistling a chirpy tune as is possible for me.

The first eventful occurrence was that, not knowing the exact location of the place, the cabbie hired by the office for the express purpose of dropping me there, almost overshot the destination. It was only because of my customary caution (read sitting-on-edge and eyeing every possible landmark and ticking it on my checklist-but what my kids will confirm, with condescending glee, as being unduly worked-up) I espied an unexpected walk-way overhead and informed the driver that he needed to do a smart reverse on the one-way highway, so as not to miss the wide and conspicuous left turn. All’s well that ends well, and I was at the station within the next four minutes, tickets duly purchased-the chap at the counter didn’t have the change so I promised myself (and him) that I would collect it on my way back. I realized I was just a little nervous about going to the right platform or otherwise, visions of going in the opposite direction and missing my appointment assailed me. Having confirmed with fellow waiting-passengers on either side (another moment that would have made the kids squirm!) I happily boarded the sleek train as it made its imperious entry into the station and ground to a halt. There was a mad rush for seats, it being the office hour, but I managed to get one and soon found myself looking out at the lush greenery that the capital city is so famous for. Delhi, through the windows of the metro, looks even more beautiful than perhaps it really is-old, forgotten memories vied for attention and R.L Stevenson’s Faster than fairies faster than witches; Bridges and houses, hedges and ditches….. came unbidden to the mind. The majestic buildings, the historic monuments, the wide avenues, the sprawling parks, the racing traffic….all coalesced into a beautiful collage seen from the vantage point of a metro compartment…Each a glimpse and gone forever.. Simultaneously, I was also doing a mental ticking away of the stations as they appeared-the mandatory audio instructions-repeating the name of the forthcoming station, the doors will open to the left, mind your step…. both in Hindi and English, providing the much needed break in the otherwise silent scenario, where lone passengers, busy in the hurly-burly of life and completely preoccupied with their own thoughts, made their way in diverse destinations. 

Two stations before my appointed one, I noticed an elderly gentleman standing and when I got up to offer my seat, he was evidently reluctant to take it. I managed to convince him that I had but a short distance left to travel and he shouldn’t refuse the offer; only then did the old dear sit down. Made me think how even at that age, there was so much grace and such lack of concern for himself. While generally we see just the reverse happen-when able-bodied, young people elbow others out of the way to grab seats in public places, here was an example of someone so deserving who had been standing all through and would’ve continuing doing so had I not noticed. In fact, on the return trip, I did espy an entire ladies seat occupied by young men while I could see several ladies standing.
Came my stop and I alighted. As the snake-like line wound its way out of the station, the lady just in front of me managed to get her token stuck and the crawl came to a halt. Till a uniformed metro employee came to her rescue and order was restored. But not before some muttered expletives and under-the breath-yet audible-curses could be heard! How impatient have we become? Always rushing, always hurrying, hypertensive, impatient - high price to pay for so-called modernisation.
  
The meeting and discussions were the most banal part of the day and two hours down the line, I found myself at the metro station again. The time of day made a big difference and this time there were very few people waiting with me. Getting into the compartment was a cake walk, but once in, it was surprisingly full. I stood for a while but got a seat five minutes down the line so all was hunky dory. But just before destination point-Yamuna Bank-the train stopped thrice, unscheduled brief stoppages but they took the fun out of the ride. Steeped though we are in the culture of trains running late (and how!) the same thing from a metro train is completely unacceptable. Anyway, and luckily, this didn’t delay the train for more than tem minutes in all and we were finally back and out of the station-though sans the change I was supposed to collect, as it seemed too much effort to join the queue again.
  
Once out, I realised how connectivity to the city is still not fully developed. While auto rickshaws and a couple of metro vans could be seen, there was no sign of a taxi. (A call to the Easy cabs from the train had elicited the response that they did not send cabs to that part of the city and I would find one on reaching) To cut a long story short, I found that I was left high and dry, in the sense that there was no sign of a cab of any shape or size. Finally, in the sweltering heat of the July afternoon, I took an auto and made my way back to office, though none the worse for the ride.
  
Though I know that a bit of streamlining still needs to be done, the over-all feeling is one of great satisfaction. Despite the recent unfortunate occurrences in metro construction, this trip was a good experience as it reinforced the belief that even though things can go wrong at times, we shouldn’t write-off something as robust and with as established a reputation as the Delhi metro as having lost its sheen. There can be flaws in the best of things and they need to be worked on but at the end of the day, something that’s good and time-tested, will always remain that way.