Because Our Trains Double Up As Shopping Malls

Photo: Sheena Dabholkar.

There’s little to love about commuting by a Mumbai local. The trains are always packed to over-capacity, delays are unannounced and frequent, and most stations are a stinking mess. The only respite is that there is scarcely a dull moment while you trundle towards your destination. Entertainment comes in the form of shrill hawkers with amusing pitches for vibrant wares ranging from food items and home appliances to apparel and fashion accessories that mirror current trends in malls and fashion markets.

A bane for the railway authorities, the hawkers are a welcome sight for those who work eight- to ten-hour shifts, and have a considerable amount of distance to cover between the office and home. On weekdays, women board trains with shopping lists from which they tick off fish, basic vegetables, exotic fruits and kitchen appliances such as vegetable peelers and cheese graters. The majority of the vendors, however, cater to fashion-obsessed collegians with a penchant for pop-coloured hair accessories, trendy costume jewellery, and inexpensive cosmetics. In addition to accessories, vendors sell fabrics, saris and tailored dresses, which make trips to the mall quite unnecessary. For the reading inclined, a good number of hawkers sell pirated copies of bestselling tomes by the likes of Amish Tripathi, Stephenie Meyer and Chetan Bhagat.

The swift business doesn’t benefit bargain hunters alone. For 12-year-old Peter who hails from Kandivali, the weekend hawking pays for his school tuition. Peter sells Walt Disney stickers, and even though he has never watched Disney cartoons on television, he can tell Pooh from Pumbaa all too well. Rahul is a scruffy 10-year-old, whom you’re likely to run into on the Bandra-Churchgate route. He deals in assorted goods that range from foot scrubs and plastic spoons to shower caps and insect repellant. Sales have been so encouraging that Rahul plans to add stationery and toys to his inventory and also intends to add two more hours of work to his four-hour work day. In her eighth year of selling stud earrings, beaded necklaces and fancy hairclips, Borivali resident Ruby, aged 25, purchased a cell phone for the benefit of her “regular customers” who would call “with specific demands”. “I have a two-month old baby and an unemployed husband,” said Ruby. “If it wasn’t for this business, we wouldn’t have a roof over our heads.”

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