It happens only in Mumbai locals

It is that time of the year when rains batter the Mumbai locals with full thrust. We have a local folklore which goes as follows;” The only thing that can stop Mumbai locals is heavy rains”. As we are already into the monsoon season, the hawkers of mobile phones plastic covers are doing brisk business in the trains. As usual, I was commuting to my office by a Slow local to CSTM for an afternoon shift. I was surrounded by a group of Gujarati traders who get in mostly at Mulund and Ghatkopar and get down at Masjid. They are a real menace, for the amount of noise that they make in the compartment.


A small boy, all of 9-10 years entered our coach at Byculla and started selling plastic covers for cell phones. This group of 7 traders bought one each and after paying off Rs 35 for 7 covers @ Rs. 5 per cover, they were happy that they have managed to buy the covers at dirt cheap rate. As each of them were trying to put their mobile phones into the newly purchased plastic covers, it dawned upon them that out of the 7 , 2 were already torn and by the time they could catch hold of the boy, he had got down at Sandhurst Road Lower. The train had also started moving by then. Many of us within the compartment couldn’t control our emotions and burst into laughter. The 2 unlucky traders however rued the fact for being the butt of everybody’s jokes.