Mumbai is called the city of dreams and to achieve their dreams people travel from one corner of the city to another corner of the city daily. The total area of Mumbai is more than 600 km2 and the best and last option for Mumbaikars to travel across the city is to board the local trains.The locals are called the lifeline of Mumbai city.When the motormen who run locals go on strike or when the tracks are flooded with water or when the railway authorities call off a megablock on the tracks, the city becomes immobile.
The ride on Mumbai locals is filled up with fun and stress at the same time.One gets full dose of entertainment while traveling on the locals.The compartments are always packed especially during the peak hours.If you are traveling during the peak hours in a ladies compartment then you need to know some unwritten rules framed by those who travel during these hours regularly.The list of rules:

1)As soon as you enter if you do not find a seat ask all the seated ladies where they are getting down.Do not bother even if they are sleeping,reading books,talking on phone.Go ahead and ask them.Then book your seat well in advance from the lady who is going to get down at the nearest railway station.

Note: Do not always expect answers.People get so irritated answering all the ladies who come and ask the same question that they prefer to keep their mouth shut.I have heard my friends saying that people who travel regularly become so fed up answering the same question that they carry banners in which they write the station they are going to get down.This ensures that nobody wakes them up while they are taking a nap.

2)Never sit on the same seat the lady got down if it is a 1st,2nd or 3rd seat,the others who were sitting next to her will shift and you will have space left to fit a part of your ass on the 4th seat.Don't forget to thank God even for that seat because you are indeed lucky to get that seat.

3)Indians are taught from childhood to respect elders.We have been taught to offer our seats to old people,pregnant ladies or ladies with small kids.These do not apply to Mumbai locals especially during the peak hours.If you are old,carrying a child or holding a child in hand or carrying luggage during the peak hours,do not expect sympathy.The only reaction you are going to get is why are you traveling on the local if you have a problem.Get down and hire a taxi.I do not mean that Mumbaikar's are so cruel to turn away their faces from one who really needs help but the everyday chase for the train and the further fights for seats have made people more resistant to emotions like sympathy.

4)The window seat is the most favourite seat on locals.Even after getting ample space to sit,people keep on asking the person sitting near the window where she is getting down and whether she is ready to offer the other person her seat when she gets down.

5)The person who sits on the 4th seat hardly gets any space to sit and keeps on telling the others to shift so that she can sit properly.But there is always hardly any space to shift.People feel we are lying when we say that there is no space .So the trick is to lift your ass up a bit and again sit in the same place.This makes the person feel that we shifted even when we have'nt.

So better brush up these rules before you travel on locals.

Though there is so much competition,fights and things which are upseting always happening on locals ,there are many beautiful aspects of traveling on locals.People who travel daily on the same train form their own groups.They celebrate all occassions on train.Let it be birthdays,anniversaries,Haldi-kumkukm( a Maharashtrian tradition),sankranti,or any other Indian festival,everything is celebrated on train by disributing sweets and eatables amongst the group members.Members of the group offer seats to their friends so that they can relax for some time.

There are also some ladies who form bhajan groups and chant prayers all the way to their destination.
Then the best part of locals is that you will not have to step out of your houses for shopping,since everything is available on trains.You name it and you get it on trains.You need not worry about if you do not have proper accessories for next day's party or matching nail polish or even dress materials and tops or branded cosmetics or vegetables for dinner.If you are really lucky you can also get live fish and crabs on locals.Therefore, the poor also makes his livelihood by selling all odd things on locals.The ladies compartment is an unexplored marketing segment in Mumbai where everything has a chance of 100% sales.

Despite all the shortcomings people travel on local to reach office on time ,to attend classes on time, to sell their commodities,in short,for survival.

Darwin's theory SURVIVAL OF THE FITTEST aptly suits people in Mumbai who have to travel daily on locals where only the fittest( read the smartest) can survive.