Metro Rides and Reads

I have been a regular commuter on Namma Metro, Bengaluru for a while now. Most of my journeys last at least 40 minutes, one way. In fact, I look forward to them even if I had to stand cramped up during the entire journey. After all, it gives me uninterrupted reading time! Despite the crowd around, I let myself be immersed into the world of the characters. I have laughed and cried during such times, unmindful of my surroundings and the discomfort and the distance. Of course, some books have made me yawn and feel bored. If I am lucky and seated, I have even succumbed to a blissful nap. All of this and more only made my metro journeys eventful. Kindle and me, that’s how it has been. In fact, I have reached a point where I can’t step out of the house without my kindle.

During the initial days when this was far from being the habit that it is now, I was the only one reading. In those rare instances when I look up and observe my fellow passengers, I see them mostly immersed in their phones, some doomscrolling with the music changing every few seconds. Many watching K-Dramas, which makes me wonder how incredulously these series have become a part of many people’s daily lives. Some middle-aged women would be watching regional serials too. I also see students studying, flipping pages and memorizing. Especially in the mornings. There will be some napping and some talking on phones. Of course, Bangalore being Bangalore, sometimes I see people working on laptops, even attending meetings!  I absorb these scenes like a sponge while still being focused on my fictional world.

I have read while waiting for metro. I have even read while walking along the platform because the book is simply unputdownable. Often, I have felt like an outlier, “a nerd”. Absorbed in books while the world around me was engrossed in phone.

When I was in Japan, I noticed that almost everyone was reading a physical book in the metro. People usually don’t talk and the silence within the metro helps us to focus. This was eight years ago and they inspired me to carry a book wherever I go. And also wish that I find more readers around me.

But that’s a thing of past now. I hope.

Today, I saw three girls reading books; physical books, mind you. One was reading Thursday Murder Club. Another one was reading The Vegetarian. And the third one was reading The Palace of Illusions. These three were in the same compartment as me and I felt glad for them. Well, glad for me also. I wasn’t alone anymore in the magical world of books. In fact, I felt a little ashamed to be reading an e-book. But that’s just me. Substance over form matters. These three girls even inspired me to let my thoughts flow along the rhythmic tapping of my laptop keys.

I recently read an article that the number of readers in India is a lot less compared to the population. It was cited that people don’t have time for such luxurious recreation while they are struggling to make ends meet. But then, what could be more soothi/ng than a world of fiction that could guarantee an escape ticket from harsh reality? It could also show us the suffering is universal, hope is inevitable and wishful thinking is a way of life.

I am already looking forward to finding more readers in my metro ride back home.

PS: I was reading Pachinko 😊

PPS: I have read the books that those girls were reading :P