Life on Mumbai local: My voice guides commuters clueless about their trains

She makes announcements regarding 14-15 trains every day. “Be it a signal failure, a welcome to passengers or any other railway announcement, I need to do it all. Through training on voice modulation, I have learnt to effectively space my words and make them sound clear when I speak on the microphone,” she added.

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The Western Railway employee handles the early morning duty shift for announcements about long-distance trains arriving or leaving from Mumbai Central station. Her day starts by leaving at 5 am from her house and includes a working time of 8-9 hours till another reliever comes in. When asked how she manages to commute all alone, she said, “I ask fellow commuters to guide me with details of the bus or train in the morning. Only if I am too unwell on account of suffering from diabetes do I call my brother to help me.”

Recalling one of the memorable instances of being an announcer for locals, she remembers this particular incident where being blind felt like a weakness.

“Around ten years back, the hall near our office had caught fire. I was alone in the room and I remember how parents were keeping their children in the announcement room for protection. I was so dumbstruck that I could not speak on the microphone. Though another announcer was called in later and I was escorted safely home, I felt if only I had eyes.”

In spite of all the troubles, Neeta has been able to financially support the family of three which includes her mother and brother.

Securing a job in railways was always her dream, she says. “I would sell homemade pickles and papads door-to-door before I got the job of a railway announcer in here. I could not complete my graduation studies as my mother fell ill and I had to earn for the house.”

What keeps her going is job satisfaction. “I get to help commuters who are clueless about which train to take and it is my voice which guides them. My job helps me reach a lakh of commuters everyday and this is what keeps me going.”