Ladies Compartment

Its an early morning for me. Beautiful, sunny and bright. I am ready to start a new chapter in my life. From the comforts of car I have moved to a city that gives you the comfort of a local train.

I am nervous as the pictures of these local trains were not very inspiring. But I am determined that I will embrace this new city like my old home. I will love it, I will respect it and I will cherish my time here. I reached the station and I see crowd pouring in and out of the platform stairs. I could hear the mad thumping which would last only few seconds and then there's the silence.

I realise everyone has already entered the train and they are well seated. I take my time to know which one is the ladies compartment and I enter with hesitation. I try to find some space to sit but who was I kidding. All the seats were taken. I took hold of the steel pole and stood firmly to start this journey of 50 minutes in train from home to work.

There are 16 stations before I reach my destination. The train starts to move and you have some last minute passengers running on platform trying to catch the train. Finally, train has picked up its speed and off we go. I think people around me could see I am the first timer; I had no headphones on, I wasn't reading any book and I wasn't praying. I felt a bit odd with so many eyes on me. I felt I am the foreigner in my own country.

The more time I passed standing the more I realised how different this life is. I am not sure if I want this life...Can I ever become a local here?

I survived the pushing at every stop over and finally got a seat after crossing 14 stations. I was so happy that finally I could sit. Come the last station and now there's another challenge. Challenge to find a taxi. Finally after crossing half the route to work on foot I found a taxi and reached work.

Come evening and its time to rush to the station again. This time I must find a seat or else I will collapse with exhaustion. I waited at the station and as soon as the train stopped I jumped in without thinking if I look graceful or not. And viola I have a seat.

Slowly slowly the train started to fill and I started to notice many women staring at me. Some of them were seated and some of them were standing. I couldn't control myself and asked "May I help you"

One woman replied "Yes, you are sitting in my space".

MY SPACE - I just did not understand. I asked her "what do you mean your space" its a public train and one can sit wherever they find space. The woman next to me asked me "Are you new here". I couldn't hide that I am an outsider. Suddenly the frown of all the women changed into smiles and they told me "Rules of the Ladies Compartment".

Living a life in my home town was not easy but it was not bound with rules and regulations. I was free but here I realise I have to follow the rules. The rules were very simple but for an outsider to know this was impossible. I had to accept their rules and follow their suggestions in order to not be bothered and stared at every day.

It took me few months honestly and now I am a pro. I realised I changed. I started to leave my house earlier and go sit in train 15 minutes before the rush of other ladies could start. I found myself the perfect seat. I had my headphones on and my favorite book in my hand. I had no concern who sits where, who does what. I had become the snobbish local.

Every now and then I watched all these women talking to each other, sharing their breakfast, reading prayers together and finally saying good byes when their destination comes. I was intrigued and curious to know who they are and slowly slowly I learnt. These are all fabolous mothers, wives, sisters and daughters. They take care of their household from 5 o'clock in the morning and at 8 o'clock they rush to reach the station. They work at home, they work at jobs and they never complaint.
They live in this city which could be much better, they travel in the train which could be better organised; but they don't complain. They enjoy their life and they are happy with meeting each other in this Ladies Compartment.