Inside the Meter Square: Finding Comfort in the Crowd on Mumbai’s Local Trains (original) (raw)

Abstract

The daily rail commute for over 6.4 million Indians on the ‘lifeline of Mumbai’ is more than a simple mode of transport: it is a complex storyboard of shared experiences. In peak times, with a super-dense-crush-load of up to 16 people per meter square, Mumbaikers have developed methods to endure minimal motility and sometimes cessation as the endless crush of the crowd ebbs and flows around them. Through results garnered from 49 in-depth passenger interviews and 48 hours of ethnographic observations on Mumbai’s suburban rail network, this paper examines the passenger experience beyond the metric of the meter square. The paper explores how commuters cope in the crowded environment and the unique behaviours, both positive and negative that contribute to the enjoyment of the crowded journey. We find that rail commuters in Mumbai bear their mobile journey together, rather than Goffman’s typified individualistic Western commuter. Finally, we explore how the ability to organise the carria...

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