If you ever want to see what a real friendship is, you should travel at least once in the ladies compartment of Mumbai local trains. As a regular commuter, I can assure you that you and your friendships are valueless as compared to what I’ve witnessed there. Thousands of women travel daily in the Mumbai locals, pushing and pinching each other to get inside a Virar train, and you may have heard about how crowded and tiring it is, but you’ve never heard how they’re a low key guide on ‘How To Be A Good Friend’. Here, we’ll be exploring the various rules of Girl Code in Local trains.
1. Save a spot
The peak times of Mumbai local are 7-10 in the morning while going towards Churchgate and 6-9 in the evening while going towards Virar. These are the times you usually avoid unless you don’t give a shit about your life. If you’re travelling, you’ll always see these one or two women, standing on the gate giving space to some women, while to the others they keep saying “andar jagah nahi hai”. AT first you’ll think it’s just luck, next time you’ll be standing in the front, and they’ll give space to you. But when you start travelling often, you’ll realize they’re all friends. They reserve these spaces for their friends and once they’re in, nobody gives a rat’s ass about you, or other non-friends. Friends before you, bitch!
2. Create a comfortable zone in the compartment
In every train that runs in the given peak hours, you’ll see these group of women seated comfortably enjoying chips and juices, oblivious to other commuters not being able to breathe properly. You try to enter their zone, they’ll push you right out of it. It’s like a Mean Girls gang in local trains, only that they don’t wear pink on Wednesday and converse in Marathi. They take up the entire space and when someone from the outside says “andar chalo”, they’ll say “jagah nahi hai” like always. I’m not even exaggerating here, but you can conduct an entire vault of gymnastics where they’re standing, but they don’t care. It’s their zone, you’re not invited. You can’t sit with them.
3. Entertain your girlfriends
If you thought that only men’s compartment has some groovy music being performed by a local band, you’re wrong. Women have to outdoing men since a long time, so why not here? However, here the women are pretty disciplined about their timings. In the morning, while going to work, the entertainment has to be confined to talking about household problems or discussing recipes, or making jokes about other people. In the evening, the entire train must know about their good vocal skills, so they play “Antakshari”. People are struggling to get inside the train in Andheri? Why do we care? Let’s continue the game. If you’re travelling without your headphones, god help you.
4. Block the gate in Borivali
There’s another clause in the Girl Code that is restricted to the ladies that choose to stand at the door. Now if you are a daily traveler, you’ll know exactly how sinful a crime it is to get inside a Virar train when you have to get down at Borivali, or get inside a Churchgate fast train from Borivali. Despite the high risk, some rebels continue to do so, risking their lives and witnessing humiliation with every step they take. There’s a particular group of girlfriends who have resolved to stop people in Borivali from getting inside or outside. The amount of synchronization and team effort you see there, you’ll never get to see anywhere else. #SquadGoals, really!
5. Stand up for your girlfriends
Fights in a ladies compartment are not surprising at all. Not even a minute can pass without hearing screams of two women indulging in a verbal spat over their hair on each other’s face. But when you’re a part of strict girl code of local trains, you’re in a virtual pact that says whenever you’re girlfriend gets involved in a fight with someone else, even if it’s their mistake, you stand up for them and join the fight from their side. If you’ve ever been fighting with someone who has her whole girl squad behind them, it’s better to give up before they all pounce on you like wild cats. There’s no winning that war, woman!
Celebrating friendship day, everyday!
