"Nobody had a comprehensible answer to the query that why 8033 UP is called 8033 UP. It may be a railway lingo, where a massive trail of compartments carrying thousands, formulate a specific digit. Is it designated 'UP' because it is going towards the big city? Are all the trains from the big city called the DOWN train? Is the journey towards the big city an upward progress or an uphill task? 8033 UP originate from a metro, wandering through the villages, hauling immigrants, who are eager to dissolve themselves in the maddening crowd of the other metro and live a life devoid of routes or the anguishes of sustaining one" Mr.Sinha pondered sitting in the railway waiting room in anticipation of the impending journey and the commotion.

Mr.Sinha is a computer engineer who altered his allegiance to marketing drifting along the tide with the changing professional preferences. He came to the small town on a business visit. Some school in the town wanted to start a computer lab thus his company sent him to negotiate with school. Otherwise, he lived in the metro traveling everyday one among the million who do not mind to use tooth and nails everyday for the ephemeral splendor of achieving a seat in the metro rail.

Waiting for the indefinitely late train Sinha walked around looking into the darkness beyond the dim light of the platform opposite. In the night the small town takes the form of the village which it was till the multinational established a factory there. The factory brought in employees from various parts of country who established there own identities. Newly established road link had way side dhabas for the long line of trucks traveling through the moonscape road. Now the town has regional gods reverently placed in the shrines, where imported elephants would take them around during the festival season.

Sinha noticed a group of youngsters sitting at the end of platform. He approached them as they too seem to be waiting for the indefinitely late train. They too did not have any problem accommodating Sinha in the group.

"It is late again" said Rakesh as to start the conversation with stranger.

"Who is in big hurry anyway… if it reaches the metro at 2 in the night you won’t even get trains to go home" said Sinha picking up the invitation offered by Rakesh.
"I feel absolute uncomfortable if there are no crowds in the metro rail" Alok also joined the conversation.

It is interesting that how the big city enters your system, without you knowing it. The morning and evening struggle for transport and the facelessness becomes something you cherish. You are the mob. You don’t have your mind working but the mob psychology which collectively think only about the bear necessities of life and the ultimate aim of reaching the destination.

The group whom Sinha sat with predominantly belonged to the small town but they were yearning to go back to the crowd. But why should they?

In the metro you live the life the way you want to. Nobody is bothered about others. The images are many like the thousands hands dangling from the metro rail, people sleeping on the footpath oblivion to the heavy, noisy traffic passing by. You become one among the many without bothering where my piece of earth or sky; as the multitude of shoes outside the crowded temple of the metro. Even violence becomes a spectacle; some kind of entertainment program for the crowd to watch at leisure; even taking sides at times without actively participating in it.

Why one should leave this innocence of the small town and join the mad crowd in the metro?

The small town was loosing its own innocence as the industry around grew. The metro fever was on. The identity the town had once is completely lost now. The original inhabitance of the village have long back sold their land and moved to the big metro joining the crowd of landless laborers who have the image of their village somewhere in the corner of their memory. They travel once or twice a year to impart the dream of the metro to the people back home creating another bunch of aspirants who look forward to reach the big metro.

8033 UP rushes through the paddy fields proclaiming loud invitation to join the crowd. Man sitting next to his paddy field smoking a beedi waves at the train murmuring “Soon I will be there”. Crackling public addressing system of the station announces the arrival of 8033 UP. The group gathers their luggage and is ready for another battle.

Welcome to 8033 UP. The journey begins now.

Jayaram Poduval
Baroda