Car Wars !!!!

An eerie feeling fills the air. The morning fog , a blinder. Thousands of feet lined up on the concrete battlefield, firmly planted on the ground. This great place is hallowed with the sweat, blood and tears of champions - all adept at flexibility, tact and sacrifice . All fighting for the same cause, an empty seat to park our asses on . People taking positions - nobody, i mean nobody, gets through the human wall.

Shouts of confirmation run all round, " Pehla Dabba ! Arre, ' Niles Bhai ' , 'Cheerag' pehle pe hain, doosre pe Mehta uncle ko bolo ready rahe!" Suspicious looks all round , no line up changes now. Come what may, aapdo jagah to fix thai gayo ! Suddenly 20 heads turn at the same time. Hmm..... voluptuous woman walking towards us. Oops ! The only time our concentration slips. Shat ! Can't let it happen, again.

Suddenly, a cracked voice yells out in the background, sounds like a possessed zombie out to get someone, a warning call , almost straight out of 'the Unforgiven', " ra rar ra ra ra ra ", maybe to those who are about to lay down their lives to go to work to the other side of town. " Plaitform Nammbar chaar pe aane waali gaadi, Churchy-gate ke liye taize local hain....." Expect them to be scared, no way ! Instead wicked smiles show up on most faces all at once. They know that the time has come. Theres no looking back now !!

As the heavy, rumbling noises get closer , a scary feeling fills us all. Its the beast and its roaring to get to us, we can smell its breath .... Pushing, showing, elbowing each other and stamping each others' feet begins as people start adjusting their positions cos the beast is getting closer and closer for the final kill. Some people have hands on their faces, not theirs but somebody else's; they can't see but they know outta instinct where to strike, the battleground now bursting at its seams......

After a final screech, the moment has finally arrived. Each and every body makes an attempt, a bloody attempt to win . Bodies flying thick and fast all at once, like stones flying in a riot. Some landing on the dividing pole at the door, some at the sides and some fly straight through, right out onto the tracks on the other side of the compartment. The quick and the nimble get seated while the unlucky ones settle down in between the seats standing and ruing their luck. Thoughts like "Its going to be a 55 minute journey in the sweltering heat, damn i wish that I'd beat that oldie who manages to sit everyday'' doing the rounds in many heads. People frantically settling down, two heads between a dozen stinky, dark armpits, somebodies sweat on someone Else's face, bodies scattered around in weird positions , putting eminent body contortionists to shame. Ten minutes later and the train begins to move..... The dead silence now gives way to stock market reports, screaming women, and frustrated men talking about their and everybody else's wives. And then the inevitable, " Bhaisahab , Andheri ?"