It’s November 1, Kerala Formation Day, and Ranjini wanted to wear a traditional Kerala sari to work, like numerous others. But she had to nip the idea in the bud the moment she thought of her daily commute between Vadakara and Kozhikode.
“It’s an ordeal squeezing oneself in and out of a packed unreserved coach of Parasuram Express for an hour’s journey. To wear a sari in that situation would be nightmarish,” exclaims the young accountant at the Government Medical College Hospital, Kozhikode. The sari would be wrinkled by the time she reached office. That apart, what deterred her was the threat of wandering hands on the prowl on crowded trains. So she chucked the sari for her usual jeans-kurta combo.
As the train chugs into Vadakara station at 7.50 a.m., there is a commotion on the platform. The passengers gear themselves up for the unavoidable struggle to board. Dhotis are secured, the ends of dupattas tied together, daypacks worn on the front or back, and straps of footwear fastened. A sea of people rushes forward as if in a wave to crash on the door as there is a mad scramble to get in even as several passengers are trying to disembark. Someone mumbles about breaking his spectacles thrice this year already in the rush to board. “I shouldn’t wear them on the train,” he is heard reprimanding himself.
