LOCAL MAZI SAKHI

LIFE IN MUMBAI IS VERY FAST AND PUNCTUAL, JUST LIKE THE THOUSANDS OF TRAINS RUNNING ON THE VARIOUS TRACKS. IT WON’T BE EXAGGERATING TO SAY THAT TRAINS AND LIVES IN MUMBAI RUN PARALLEL TO EACH OTHER. A TRUE GLIMPSE OF THE LIFE OF MUMBAIKAR IS EXPERIENCED ONLY IN THE LOCAL. EVERY DAY, ABOUT 66 LAC PEOPLE TRAVEL BY LOCAL TRAINS. EVERY YEAR, 2000 PEOPLE DIE WHILE ATTEMPTING TO CROSS THE RAIL TRACKS. WHEN THIS HAPPENS, LOCAL STOPS IN BETWEEN THE TRACKS, AND PEOPLE COME DOWN ON THE TRACKS TO PROTEST THIS. IT IS A VICIOUS CIRCLE. THIS EVERYDAY JOURNEY TAKES YOU TO YOUR WORK PLACE AND THEN BACK HOME. IT AIDS US BY HELPING US REACH OUR DESTINATIONS. YET, THIS SAME JOURNEY LEAVES SOME AFTER EFFECTS RATHER AS PER EXPERTS’ ADVERSE EFFECTS BOTH PHYSICALLY AND MENTALLY. THE AUTHOR HERSELF HAS BEEN A LOCALITE FOR YEARS. HER SENSITIVE MIND HAS MINUTELY ABSORBED THE DETAILS OF THIS DAY-TO-DAY JOURNEY. SHE HAS SENSED THE DIFFICULTIES, WITNESSED THE ACTS OF GOODNESS, FELT THE DISTRESS AT MOMENTS, HELPED IN THE PANICKY SITUATIONS. SHE PUT HER THOUGHTS INTO ARTICLES WHICH WERE PUBLISHED IN THE DAILY NEWSPAPER, BUT THOSE ARTICLES WERE NOT ENOUGH TO GIVE AN OUTLET TO THE TURMOIL IN HER MIND. SO SHE CAME UP WITH THE BOOK AND DEDICATED IT TO THE LOCAL AND ESPECIALLY TO THE LADIES COUPE. LOCAL IS LIFE FOR PEOPLE LIVING IN MUMBAI. LOCAL IS OXYGEN, YET LOCAL KILLS. LOCAL BOOSTS YET IT IS TIRESOME. ONCE YOU START LIVING IN MUMBAI YOU MIGHT DESPISE THE LOCAL INITIALLY, BUT THEN YOU YOURSELF WILL FAIL TO CAPTURE THE EXACT MOMENT WHEN YOU STARTED LOVING IT, LOCAL BECOME INDISPENSABLE....मुंबईच्या एस.एन.डी.टी. विद्यापीठात पर्यावरणावर झालेल्या चर्चासत्रात एक महत्वाचा मुद्दा मांडला गेला. तो होता, `मुंबईचा लोकल-प्रवास` - लोकल प्रवासावर संशोधन करून वाचलेला पेपर. त्यात म्हटलं होतं की `मुंबईचा लोकल-प्रवास हे संथ मरणाचं सावट आहे`. या एका वाक्याने लेखिका दचकली. कारण तीही रोज लोकलने प्रवास करत होती. लोकलमध्ये रोज घडणा-या, घाबरवणा-या घटनांची ती साक्षीदार होती. त्यामुळे `संथ मरणाचं सावट` या संकल्पनेनं ती मुळापासून हादरली. मुंबईसारख्या प्रचंड गर्दीच्या महानगरात, सामाजिक, राजकीय अशा बेमुर्वत घटनांनी लोकल-प्रवाशांना बसणारा फटका, उदा. रेलरोको, बॉम्बस्फोट, आगी लागणे, झोपडपट्टीवाल्यांची दादागिरी, सिग्नल-यंत्रणा ठप्प होणे. परिणामी चाकरमान्यांना कार्यालयात पोहोचायला होणारा उशीर, लेटमार्क होणे वगैरे. या गोष्टी प्रवाशांच्या आवाक्यातल्या नसतात. यातून वैयक्तिक समस्या निर्माण होतात. आयुष्याचा समतोल बिघडत जातो. या सत्य घटनांवर अशी कादंबरी लेखिकेनं लिहिली आहे.