One thing every Mumbaikar surely likes to talk about, is the memories that they make while travelling in Local trains. Local trains aren't just a way of transportation, they are a part of every Mumbaikar's life which reflect their entire journey in the city of dreams, ranging from every joy to sorrow, their struggle, their fights, efforts, clashes, the time they went through in which they learnt how to prosper in diversity. There is an exhilarating kick in catching the local train, though sometimes it can be frustrating. Every day brings a new challenge, every day makes you a better traveler because even after being surrounded by thousands of people, we somehow find a way back home.
But it doesn't matter how depressing the day was, every time a mumbaikar returns home, he does smile remembering how he found a way among hundreds of people to get that one "fourth" seat.
They are many other things which we go through in the years of travelling and each and every one of the memory resides right at the center of our heart.

1) The fight for window seat.

People from different cities start their way by planning about their meetings and other things, but not us. Most of us, before starting our day prepare strategies of acquiring a window seat. A window seat is probably the best start for the day. Because it makes you forget about almost all your worries. Have you ever seen a depressed person sitting on a window seat?
Because, once you get that seat, you remember about all the best memories and automatically a smile appears your face.
No matter how old a person is, everyone is excited about getting the window seat.

2) The invisible station.

No matter what the time is, there is always that one place where every train halts. People refer to it as Thambevali. For example, every train halts between Borivali and Kandivili and also between Dombivili and Thane. After a month, you get so much used to it that it doesn't even matter anymore.
You actually feel strange sometimes when it doesn't halt at that place.

3) No train is ever full.

When you are a new traveler, every train seems to be crowded. But once you become a local traveler, no train is ever full. Even if there is no place to get in, you will somehow find a way to get in. You might stand at the door and hear someone, "Aaj fir bhi gardi kam hai!!" In fact, there will always be one person at every station who gets in the train after it has caught speed.

4) The Super-man moment.

You might be a loser in your life but if you are standing at the door with the train running at its full speed and your hair floating along with the wind, you suddenly feel like you are on the top of the world. That is one moment for every Mumbaikar when he gets the feeling that after failing in some things after all, there is so much in the world to fight for.

5) Art of sharing.

Irrespective of the size of the three people sitting, there will always be a small space for the fourth seat. This is one of the special feature of Mumbaikars, which explains how much they care.

6) Optimism.

'Hope' is the one thing that Mumbaikars never lose. Even when sometimes there are more than 500 people on a platform but still everyone is sure that they will get place to get in. Also, after getting in, when there is no place to stand and even standing on two legs becomes a struggle, still everyone hopes to get a seat.

7) Friendships.

After travelling for a month, we get used to getting in the same compartment, stand at the same place and struggle to sit on the same place everyday. There are other people like us who struggle for a seat next to us and within a couple of days they become our best buddies. From sharing all kind of movies to playing games, having breakfast with them and also sharing all the important things of your life, you find one of your best friends in them.

8) The true Mumbaikar.

You become a true Mumbaikar, when you learn how to board on a running train. No matter how punctual you are, but there will be a time when you will have to choose between letting the train go or become a daredevil by getting on board irrespective of its speed.

9) Importance of Time.

You learn the importance of the odd timings like 6:33, 8:21 or 9:52 Although you know the train is not going to be one time, still you somehow manage to be there one minute early.

10) Fearless Mumbaikars.

No matter if there is a greatest disaster or a terrorist attack or even if one day aliens come to take over the world, still the next day, same number of people will be seen in the locals and locals will be running perfectly.
Example. After the 2006 serial blasts, it took only 3 hours for the trains to start again.

In short, Mumbai's lifeline is an incredible miracle which helps millions of people to reach their goals.

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