The joys of travelling to south Mumbai

Travelling is always fun, and choosing a South Bombay college two years ago left me with no choice but to travel for a solid two hours, writes Joanna Prabhakar.

Travelling is always fun, and choosing a South Bombay college two years ago left me with no choice but to travel for a solid two hours, if not more.

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But most people say commuting on Mumbai’s locals is never boring — and I won’t dispute that.

Whether it was buying the latest fashion magazine for ‘triple-a-discount’, watching that little ragged salesboy selling hundreds of multicoloured, eye-catching hairclips, jumping onto a Badlapur (BL) instead of a Belapur (BR) local; or even spending the night in a waterlogged compartment on that fateful 26/7…

I have had my share of excitement on trains. Like the thrilling rides on Bus No 138.

I took a course that took me further along the streets of Mumbai than even my college. And oh! The simple joys of sitting at the front window of this huge double-decker.

First, this bus is forever bursting at its seams — like the trains, and everything else in this city; second, the 20-minute ride from Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus to Cuffe Parade never fails to rejuvenate.

A little further along is Marine Drive. If I was lucky, I’d be caught at the signal so I could bask in the beauty of the ocean, the sun glinting off its breakers and a few fishermen in tiny boats in the distance.

The signal would then turn green and the bus would begun to move. And there I would be, not wishing to leave and yet eager for a glimpse of Mantralaya and the seemingly never-ending queue outside.

Before I know it, the high-rises of Cuffe Parade would come into view and just as I began counting the floors... lo, I had to disembark.

(Joanna Prabhakar is a student)