If you travel from home to work every day and take advantage of public transport, you are probably aware of how congested it can get during peak hours. People may sometimes board moving automobiles, irrespective of their safety, in order to take up a vacant spot. While the desire to find a seat after a long day of work is fair, putting your life or the lives of others in danger is incomprehensible.
A viral video shows a mass of ladies attempting to board an active Mumbai local train. This video, shared by user Akshay on social media platform X, has sparked an online controversy.
The video, which was posted on September 16, depicts women getting on a moving local train. The people who commute put their safety temporarily on hold and began entering the train one by one while it was still moving. If you watch the entire video, you will notice that some of them are even trying to keep their balance, but they were okay with taking the danger in order to get a seat for themselves.
Akshay, an X user, posted a video with the song ‘Yeh Hai Bombay Meri Jaan’ streaming in the background as well.
While some people valued the commuters for putting their lives in danger in order to obtain an empty seat, others criticised them.
Another user mentioned saying, “I still remember that time when once I was travelling in a local and heard a passenger say, Rukne ke baad utregi kya?”
In response to the video, one group of Mumbai users stated that they have little choice but to hurry into trains in order to avoid having to stand and push in crowds for their lengthy trip to their homes.
“Every seat on any train has been taken up by the time it arrives at the station.” After an exhausting day at work, it’s challenging to stand for 2.5 hours on a crowded train. “Don’t forget that 75% of these women go from jobs to home back to work again,” someone said.
“Many women use this travel time to cut vegetables on the train to save time,” claimed another user. It’s easy to pass judgements, but you have to be there to empathise with these women. Life is a gift.
The footage came out on the web platform X, along with a caption that critiqued the scenario. The caption portrayed it as a sad, frightening depiction of poor living conditions. Some more affluent people, notably those who live comfortably in South Bombay, romanticise this as the’spirit of Mumbai’ or a ‘jhunjhuna’ presented to common Mumbaikars to make them feel better about their problems and dissuade them from seeking better infrastructure.
In response to the video, one group of Mumbai users remarked that they have little choice but to rush into trains in order to avoid having to stand and push their way through throngs on their long journey home.
“By the time a train arrives at its destination, every seat has been taken. After an exhausting day at work, it’s challenging to stand for 2.5 hours on a crowded train. Don’t forget that 75% of these women go from jobs to home back to work again,” someone said.
“Many women use this travel time to cut vegetables on the train to save time,” claimed another user. It’s easy to pass judgements, but you have to be there to empathise with these women. Life is a gift.”
Many internet users responded to the video by sharing their comments. According to one user, “Bollywood’s portrayal of the Bombay ideal led to enormous migration in the 1970s, which led to the current scenario for millions”.
Another user stated that, “despite its major contribution to the country’s economy, Mumbai has constantly received inadequate infrastructure and civil facilities”. Another person stated that “transferring people from Bihar as well as Uttar Pradesh back to their home states might solve the problem, albeit from a contentious standpoint”.
Finally, one user stated that ” the true’spirit of Mumbai’ should be focused on raising every person, improving living standards, and making the city more equal for all”.