Door keepers !

A break from the work, a forced one courtesy cold, fever and backache, for a couple of days made me realise that I was missing something. I figured it out when I landed on platform on Monday evening. It was my regular Metro ride that I hadn’t taken for last 3 days. As the train approached, I felt a strange kind of satisfaction… that all is well… that the world (or should I say the routine) hasn’t changed since I took the break.
But the satisfactory feeling turned into disgust as I stepped inside. The train seemed to be bursting at its seams thanks to passengers who had packed themselves into it just like a pack of sardines. As I pushed and squeezed my way into the coach, making sure that none of my body parts got stuck between the sliding doors, I found inside there was still some room where one could stand easily. But then most of the people preferred to stick closest to the doors even if they had to ‘deboard’ at least 10 stations away. Why so, I began to think, after I found some space to stand a bit comfortably. Probably, because those people hadn’t got over their ‘bus habits’ yet. Well before Metro became a ‘preferred’ mode of public transport in the National Capital, Delhiites used to travel by buses… DTC, Yellow line, Blue Line, Red Line, Green line and White line …. During summer, when all these line used to be packed to hilt , again like a tin of sardines, people made every effort to stand closer to doors. Some even preferred to hang on foot boards as it gave one some fresh air to breathe, which one could hardly get inside. Also, the place was relatively cooler.
The mode of transport has changed but not the habit. The doors are still crowded. People don’t realise Metro is fully air-conditioned. So you will get ‘cooled off’ anywhere in the train. Also, the doors remained closed unlike in the buses. So you won’t get ‘fresh air’ while standing at the doors. The only thing you get is a frowning passenger who boards the train at the next station and finds you in his/her way.