My dear friend has yet again posted a wonderful piece of blog – http://understandingfortytwo.blogspot.com/2011/07/ride-in-delhi-metros-pink-compartment.html And I must admit that she has done a great job in weaving a colorful landscape of the ladies compartment of the Delhi Metro.
Delhi Metro … it is a monument in itself… it represents , in many ways, the quintessential Delhi… - It is grand… it is mystic… it is colorful… and it is loud…! And I can definitely take pride in telling that I have been a witness to this historical movement which would change the face of Delhi…. for ever… and for best…! For me, Delhi Metro has been love at first sight… there was no looking back ever… ! Metro ride is an experience… It travels through cultures… religions… and qualifications. It is a tribute to the human spirit…. to those who built it and to those who travel in it….! But now I am not in Delhi... and Metro is one of the many things that I miss about my city... !!
At times I really missed those interesting metro trips... and longed to be back in Delhi (NCR) ... and then one day .... BART happened … :)
Bay Area Rapid Transport (BART) brings the bay area together… it connects the bay area going right through the San Francisco Bay….! Considering the difficult non-uniform terrain of San Francisco bay area, the construction of BART is truly a great chapter in the history of civil engineering. The purpose of BART and Delhi Metro are exactly the same…. BART was conceptualized to handle the traffic congestion trans bay… and so was Delhi Metro … to take care of growing number of traffic bottlenecks in NCR (National Capital Region) … !
Before my first trip in BART, I had this misconception that the working population in the Bay Area do not use public transportation for commuting….! But considering the average weekday ridership of 341,151 passengers (data courtesy wiki)... I realized that… it was just that.. a misconception…. :)
Just like any other public transport… traveling in BART… is a learning experience… and more so for me… because this is altogether a new world for me… ! As per the geography, I am globe away from my home… but as per the growth and development… I am at least a few years away …! But the crowd that I travelled with in Delhi Metro… and the crowd I travel with now are remarkably similar… in many ways… ! In mornings... they are anxious to reach office in time... and in evening... they hurry back home...!! Sometimes they look happy and relaxed.. at others they may be sad , worried or confused.. other times they appear plain bored... excited... or even sleepy... ! I am actually amazed at the myriad of human emotions that I get to observe... and that there are as so many individuals and yet they belong together…! And somehow... after a very long time I feel belonged... and I feel at home....!
