Tuesday, March 16, 2010

Shopping!! (Train Travels ...)

Her feet are sore, nails chipped, bangles tinkling.. baby at the back! She can balance 3 boxes on her head; one above the other. She has a train to catch.. Only there is no destination. She has to get her earnings for the day.. else her baby goes hungry. so does her family back in the hutment.

Hundreds of such women throng the Mumbai local trains for their livelihood. Selling trinkets, junk jewellery, hair clips, clothes, table mats, railway pass covers, cosmetics and eatables. One can find anything from a safety pin to a salwar kameez being sold in the trains. It is amazing how I cannot find the right coloured hair clip in the best of stores.. but sometimes manage to find one in the train!

Office goers, housewives, collegians, students and the self employed, there is a mix of all age groups, all professions who bump into each other on Mumbai local trains. A woman and shopping goes hand in hand! This common interest gets all of them together and the lady selling wares too. Even if you don’t buy.. it is interesting to watch. Bargaining is a common practice. And you are a fool if you agree to pay the price originally quoted! :) Generally, you can shop for something if you have 5 rupee coin with you.

Love Mumbai trains for the train shopping!

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