Yeh Dosti Hum Nahi Chhodenge.

If you are a daily commuter on the Mumbai Local Trains, managed to part the crowd and get down at your destination unfazed and as nonchalant as if it is every day normal; pat yourself in the back. If you can travel this way, you can travel anywhere and even dare Bear Grylls (The Man VS Wild Guy in the Discovery Channel) for once.  

I have honed my skills and built muscle and resilience to pushes and shoves, been a keen observant as well as participant of a few women scuffles using some choicest ‘pardon my French’ words. Growing up in Mumbai, travelling in locals is somewhat like a rite of passage when you do it alone. I achieved mine at the age of 18. I became a part of that community of women travelling in the ladies coach. Ten years have gone by and I have struck up many conversations, gave up my seat for the elderly, have even done a jig or two of the garba, helped shell peas and sort coriander leaves,  shared my newspaper for the umpteenth time , lent and received tissues to wipe tears, high-fived while cracking up on a silly joke…..phew!

But for me the thing most special about the Mumbai Local was the six lifetime friends I made in the past two years.

Why are they so special? Because I didn’t just travel with them in the Local; but our saga of friendship continued on journeys beyond the stations of Mumbai.

Two years had gone by and our bonding was the talk of other commuters. We gelled right from ‘Hello’.  Maybe we were destined to meet and luck played a major part in getting us together as it still surprises us till today of how impossible it is to meet the same people with different destinations every day on a train. Even if one of us is absent for any reason, the rest always meet. Even our families were awestruck by this fact.

Let me introduce you to these soulful beings – Ketaki  maushi, pushing  70 this year, but has the vivaciousness of a 23 year  old, full of spunk and a reminder to us all how to live life to the fullest.

Bhavika, a no-nonsense bearing lady, corporate executive by day, social worker by night – She gives us the hope and courage to be humane.

Annamarie, a pucca Anglo-Indian with amazing pipes – She is a vocalist in a band. Guess what she sings-  Hindustani Classical and Jazz Fusion!  You tend to get goose bumps when she belts out a song. 

Bahaar – the surprise package. She is a 37 year old married mother of three who has never been out of her house alone for the past 21 years. And now takes the 7.30am local from CST to Dadar for work as well as to further her studies which she left after her nikaah. She has a very funny, comic side to her which we have witnessed. We laugh so hard at her jokes and impersonations, our tummy and jaws ache.

Then there is Perizaad who according to us is an immensely talented cook but who has her eyes set on walking the ramp. She is no doubt a towering beauty too, always turning heads. For all the men wanting to woo her-spoiler alert! She is taken!  Engaged to be married to a wonderful Parsi Dikra – Farokkh.

And the youngest of the lot is Twisha, a 20 something college student aspiring to be a criminal psychologist. She is hell bent on reducing the crime rate of Mumbai.  She strongly advocates that education and spreading the right kind of knowledge can help one evade the path of crime. On a lighter note, she got me hooked to Benedict Cumberbatch’s ‘Sherlock Holmes’ on Netflix, an offbeat and modern take on the Novels by Arthur Conan Doyle. What a brilliant adaptation! 

Back to the question how did our friendship saga continue its journey beyond the Mumbai Local?  Well it was the day I felt so comforted and protected by this spirited flock that I just blurted out, ‘Hey Girls, How about going on a trip together!’ ‘Where?’  ‘Abroad’ Silence…..After some ten seconds my spunky Ketaki Maushi, in her boisterous voice says- ‘Oh Yessss’

That was it! If the matriarch is ready, we gotta be ready too! Women Special Tours did the rest.  We went like a giggling bunch all around Kuala Lumpur. More than the sights we went to, we were grabbing more attention of the people around. We came back even more determined to do this again.

And we are on our next trip to Morocco with Women Special Tours two months from now.

About 'Women Special Tours':  Would you like to go for a ‘Ladies Only Trip’ which is full of fun, excitement, games and unforgettable experiences? Then you are looking for us. If you have any query or you want us to share your travel stories at our blog, contact us at ToursWST@gmail.com or +91 – 9810555106.

About the Article Editor: Kimberly Jane Thomas is a Blogger, Writer, Communications Trainer, avid music buff and loves literary fiction; but more than all these, she loves to listen to the animated conversations of her kids. She considers life a blessing in the guise of challenges. She wouldn’t have it any other way. You might meet her someday during one of our tours.

Please note: Above story is a fiction work of the author.  However; we are committed to creating similar kind of emotions, experiences, and stories for our women travelers. We hope one day you will also be traveling with 'Women Special Tours.'