My First Journey in A Metro Rail

It is not something of distant memory when my Papa, with his Kolkata milieu, would draw great pride in sharing his experiences of travelling in Kolkata Metro. I, being a lad grown up in a small town of Uttar Pradesh, namely Pilkhuwa, found it like a much celebrated achievement of my father and held a strong urge to travel in the Metro Rail somewhere in my heart since childhood. The time Papa would discuss anything related to Kolkata from the Communist’s governance to our place of residence at Stand Road and from grandfather’s shop at Bada Bazaar to famous Bengali sweet Rasogulla, it would let me to imagine the Metro Rail. Even a mere musing of travelling in the Metro Rail led me to sense immense excitement. Years after years, in every summer vacations I had tried to persuade Papa to take us to Kolkata persistently, however he also kept giving the same excuse consistently, “Achieve 1^st rank, and we shall go to the Hooghly’s Bank.”

Nevertheless, things never changed. Neither I could ever secure 1^st rank, nor could I ever visit Kolkata until my youth. By the way, here I would also like to express my grievances towards Doordarshan, Producers-Directors of movies and also a bit towards the Discovery Channel for making available a significant amount of information except showing the Kolkata Metro, during the nascent stage of broadcasting revolution in the country. It should be more than a sheer misfortune that till date also, having seen a world on T.V. and in films, I could never see the Kolkata Metro.    

They were early days, but life moves on and change is an essential outcome of its progress. The Earth had completed a few more rounds of the Sun rotating on its axis and I, together with my country, which was in the early decades of its freedom and was marching forward forth on the path of development with its policies of globalisation, entered into youth transcending our childhood. We welcomed a new millennium. At this point of time, we had started receiving the news of beginning of the Metro Rail in Delhi through different media including T.V. and newspapers. Expressing the joy in words over the reports of implementation of Delhi Metro would quite be a herculean task. These reports were beyond simple conformation to prior news; they rather drew similitude with some melodious saga. At this moment, I was very confident of enjoying a Metro ride soon.

Then came the auspicious date December 24, 2002, the day when the dream of Delhi Metro turned into reality. It was the year when I graduated from school to college and started travelling alone. This further strengthened my belief of an early ride in the Metro Rail. I could never, even in far imagination, think of such a long delay in my first metro ride.

In its first phase Delhi Metro covered only the distance between Shahdra and Tees Hazari. Ironically, it was a region in Delhi where I had never gone and had no intentions to go either. What else did the region have apart from Delhi Metro? Neither any friend nor a relative stayed there. Moreover, by this time the effects of economic liberalisation had started affecting small towns and villages transcending big cities. The enormous speed that a small car Maruti had fuelled in the growth of Indian road transportation system was continuously gaining pace in every single nook and corner of the country in different forms. In short, we owned a car then. Furthermore, change is not only a characteristic of life but also of nature. It was that I had also changed. The counter interaction of mutually competing forces of personal ambitions and social aspirations generated such a power that overruled the attraction of the Metro Ride without it coming to my notice.  The Metro Rail had come to Delhi and I had gone to Kolkata, but a Metro Ride was yet to take place. 

It was year 2007, five years were gone since Delhi Metro had started. Having gone through numerous ups and downs, by this time most part of my life had started passing on national highways. Delhi Metro was expanding its wings swiftly in wake of the organisation of 2010 Commonwealth Games. However, I had completely forgotten my urge to travel in a Metro Rail. Then, one day a friend invited me to Connaught Place for a hang around. Time passed so smoothly in our discussion that I could not even make out that it was getting dark. My friend pushed me to stay at his place. I also gave him uncontrived consent.

He lived in Patel Nagar. The moment he had told me that there was a Metro station in proximity to his home and we had to go by Metro only, I grew very nervous. I was hesitating because I did not know how to travel in Metro. Asking this question made an educated lad like me feel paralysing effects. Finally, we entered in Rajeev Chowk Metro Station. My friend had Metro Traveller Card, yet being courteous he got a token for me. Here I was observing things very closely and learning many things simultaneously. Thereafter, with the touch of the token when the gate opened and I entered the Metro Rail, travelling in an overcrowded Metro felt more a punishment than enjoyment. But, the child innate in me was provoked by this time. I wished to make my long awaited first Metro Ride a joyful experience. Therefore, I requested my friend to go till the terminating station and then come back. He agreed. As the train had reached close to the termination point and crowd mitigated, I came to know what Delhi Metro meant to the city and its habitats.

Now I had experienced the comfort of commuting by Metro. Thanks to the Common Wealth Games, Delhi Metro has reached every prominent location in the city. Now I travel in metro as often as daily. Yes, due to the universal application of the rule of diminishing utility I have lost the bubbly charm of the Metro Ride, yet I understand the importance of Delhi Metro from the bottom of my heart. Thought of life in Delhi without Delhi Metro seems to be a nightmare. Each single ride in it is a unique experience in itself which we usually observe through sub-conscious and rarely with conscious. My journeys in Metro might not be anything anew for the coming generation, but the story of my struggle for my first metro ride would definitely excite them.