If the stink is here, can "Sulabh" be far away?

Travelling in a Mumbai local everyday, since more than half a decade, I have now become almost completely acquainted with the select distinct features of each railway station on the Western line.  Even without taking a look at the name board (or whatever it is that you call it) on the platforms, I can say, just by peeking through a window, which station it is that the train is passing. The concrete landmarks, or the layout of the station, or the crowd ;). There is an exclusivity that each station possesses.

So, shutting my eyes and standing by the door (not footboard, mind you), listening to music through the headphones – all this subject to the space available around me – I usually enjoy a relaxing one hour train-ride back home, late in the evening. The wind gushes through (never mind the dust and smoke mixed in it!). It is then that I realize that, sometimes, I need not even bother opening my eyes to check the next destination. My olfactory sense does the job for me. As the train pulls into Marine Lines station, for instance, suddenly there’s the ammonia smell that begins to irritate my nostrils. Slowly, the serenity on my face transforms into a nasty frown, the stink forcing me to hold my breath until the train has pulled out of the station. So much for a SoBo railway station!

If this weren’t enough, today, I walked through some gullies in Marine Lines, on my way to the railway station. One of my friends suggested this, since it’s supposed to be a short cut. I couldn’t tell when and how it cut short the time to reach my destination, but I got a stronger dose of the “aromatic” atmosphere of propah Bombay!!! Not to mention the wet tiles in these gullies awaiting our royal walk down the aisle :P

So much for being part of SoBo!!!