My first ride In delhi metro was simply awesome!
It started like this. I wanted to meet my school friend who is in gurgaon. My home is somewhere in the center of delhi and it would have taken me easily 2 – 2 ½ hour to reach her. The traffic, heat, pollution- I kept postponing going to see her thinking of all this. Delhi is scorching right now and it really saps ones energy to just step out for a while. So reaching gurgaon was like reaching mars for me (rather mercury as that’s the hottest !!) Then my dad told me to take the metro and I was like – I don’t want to take a cab- Why would I want to take a TRAIN of all things!
But I had to make it because she is my best friend and she just had a baby and .. well I had to go. So I started at 10:30 in the morning and went to the Khan Market station. That’s totally just 3 minutes from my home. There were arrows pointing to HUDA City Center platform and I took a straight ticket to there. Cost was Rs.25 whereas a cab would have cost me Rs.500 one way! Though I had to change the train in one station and take another for my destination the ticket would be the same till I reach Gurgaon and step out of the station there. So I don’t have to go and purchase another ticket for the next train and run looking for the counter again. So far so good. They checked my bag – airport style and then down I went to catch my train. The station was so so clean that for a minute my brain refused to accept that this was indeed India ! There was an electronic board announcing the time left for the train to come. In two minutes the train slid into the platform and when I say slid I mean slid because there was absolutely no screeching sound or any of the chugs chugs you come to associate with trains. Pristine white the doors slid open (again noiselessly) and people stepped out while the ones who had to board waited by the side. I got in and ah ! blessed cool. The temperature was awesome and I thanked my stars. The doors closed locking the coolness in and I sat into a silver seat. I could see the electronic board announcing the next station as well as a detail map as to which stations the train covers. As eating, drinking and smoking were a no no in these metros it was clean as a whistle and the first class compartments are all reserved for ladies. All round were different people – some with Ipods (western style) others murmuring over their mobiles and still others studying for exams. The train was so neat(I know I keep repeating this but I am still amazed !) that I saw one student doing her record work sitting down as she couldn’t get a seat ! And my mind went back to MY college days when I and my friend used to take the local DTC and never once reach the college without being pawed or hit upon by someone in the crowd. And what a put down to the whole day it is when you get into the bus and someone with bad breath decides that you would do for today and gropes with his sweaty hands to see which part of you he could reach. I am not trying to be gross here and every student who has ever taken the local DTC buses to anywhere will attest to my statement here. And here I saw how neatly and comfortably students could travel not having to worry about all this and felt a little pang of jealousy that we never got to enjoy this.
I changed trains in central secretariat (no problem at all as the announcement kept on coming and I knew exactly where I had to get down and exactly where to go for the next line). Made the journey in less than an hour and with all my hair in place. Coming out of the cool cool train was a wrench and I really looked forward to the journey back as well.
I have been in the metros in China and Canada and I will say honestly – if not better- Delhi metro stands on equal footing with them. And being mine as in being in MY country its all the more special to me. One of the proudest moments is as I write this because wherever you go – homeland IS the best.
What more to say METRO ROCKS !!!
