Women Only

My Ladies compartment is just the best.

For starters, it is much emptier than the other compartments. 

It has gorgeous women from all walks of life, some with stern chins and some with dreamy looks. It has energetic bubbly girls chattering away with friends and it also has soft whispers of those on the phone with their boys.

Sometimes they forget their volume and you hear a whiff of, "Oh my God you should have seen what she wore!" and also a naughty "pehle aap phone rakho" (read: you disconnect the call first). A professional conversation of "Yes sir, the presentation is ready" or a business talk of "Apne vendor ko phone kar na yaar" (read: call up your vendor) are other common tones that one can hear. One of my favorites however, is Punjabi Aunties discussing the latest Saas Bahu gossip.

I never fail to notice the eyes with well defined kohl, engrossed in reading books, and eyes with square frame glasses going through study notes. And then there are those eyes which are glued to the phones and the messages within, smiling with anticipation. Also the eyes that are shut, catching up with some sleep. 

There is always that girl with a chooda (red bangles worn by newly wed women) and the one with a hint of vermilion on her forehead despite her pant suit and laptop bag. 

The plethora of colours in this compartment makes it my daily dose of rainbow seeking. I also get a glimpse of latest trends and fashions of the city each time I step in.

My Ladies compartment, always has space to sit for old or pregnant women. Even for women with young children or with too much stuff to carry. I was once given a seat because I had red eyes and I looked ill. 

From Jootis to High Heels, from Sneakers to Ballerinas.

Somewhere just like life, women get on and get off at their pre-determined stops. While they may or may not alter my journey, but I know that here I will never feel out of place. It is my safe haven, my resort to imagination. It is where I let my mind take it's flight as I wordlessly listen to the all healing breath of my sisters.

And off course, it smells so goddamn nice!