"A click that touched my heart, a commuter worshipping Mumbai Local before boarding after 11 months," he wrote. Mumbai’s suburban railway system resumed its services after a 10-month closure, and an image captured what the local rail network means for the daily commuters.
The image was captured when the general public was allowed to travel by local trains during non-peak hours from Monday. The moving image showed a young man bowing down before boarding the locomotive, often described as the ‘lifeline of the city’.
The picture went viral after Twitter user, Himanshu Parmar (@Madan_Chikna), shared it on the micro-blogging site, turning many emotional.
“A click that touched my heart, a commuter worshipping Mumbai Local before boarding after 11 months,” he wrote online adding the poignant moment was clicked by a close relative.
A click that touched my heart, a commuter worshipping Mumbai Local before boarding after 11 months. ❤️ pic.twitter.com/AqEhlTaH0Z
— Godman Chikna (@Madan_Chikna) February 2, 2021
As the image beautifully captures the sentiment of the general public, happy that the city’s lifeline got back on track, many on the platform noted only those who have lived in Mumbai would understand this.
Here’s how people reacted to the image going viral across social media sites.
The soul of India… I pray we never lose it… https://t.co/Xw48usPnew
— anand mahindra (@anandmahindra) February 3, 2021
Not without a reason is it called the ‘lifeline of the city’ #MumbaiLocal https://t.co/YLz6QGqHgg
— CP Gurnani (@C_P_Gurnani) February 3, 2021
Only Mumbaikars will understand the beauty of this action https://t.co/msREdQLFJn
— Devdutt Pattanaik (@devduttmyth) February 3, 2021
Finding happiness in little things, the bond developed with everything around them, defines India and Indians.
This is what makes us unique. Speaks tons about our culture and tradition. Beautiful.
Jai Hind🇮🇳 https://t.co/ONQ7Nb8MxC— Yash Pund (@yashanilpund029) February 3, 2021
Lovely this is @madan_chikna , Displays Priorty of some in a country with 140 Crore people with vastly varied lives 🙋♂️ https://t.co/CZKv0kkFnA
— Arunabh Kumar (@TheQtiyapaGuy) February 3, 2021
Surreal. https://t.co/Q2ugxwW6je
— Abijit Ganguly (@AbijitG) February 2, 2021
What a beautiful pic!
I can only imagine the range of emotions this guy must be going through
Thank God we are nearing the end of all this hardship – physical, mental, economical
Hang in there, dear all… bas ab sirf thode hi aur din ki baat hai!#Mumbai #Covid_19 #India https://t.co/trq7K6TbfU
— Mihir Vora (@theMihirV) February 2, 2021
Same feeling. Travelled today in mumbai local from borivali. Last had travelled on 20 March 2020. https://t.co/eh86cV4INX
— Ankur Patel (@Seldomcooker1) February 2, 2021
Locals are unlike Metro. Besides being a cheapest way of travelling locals are like another home to commuters where they spend hours everyday, celebrate festivals, socialise. It’s called lifeline for a reason. It’s an emotion I don’t expect outsiders to understand & that’s okay. https://t.co/82SnzNFUZw
— Robinhood Pandey (@roflbaba) February 2, 2021
That’s how significant the famous Mumbai Local train is to a regular commuter. It is a lot more than just a lifeline, it is a deity. https://t.co/0mo6MH5FVM
— Oindrila (@Oinx_roy) February 3, 2021
When we say it’s the lifeline of Mumbai, it’s not proverbial. It’s factual. https://t.co/zQduhWa5Ed
— Tejas Shah (@tejaschetanshah) February 2, 2021
Mumbai locals & Mumbaikars, are an emotion difficult to explain.. We treat it as a second home, decorating the trains on Dassehra/Diwali & other festivals, shared sweets, sharing meals, having “Train friends”… And so on… You have to travel once to understand!!
— Paras Soni (@parassoni) February 2, 2021
The local trains in Mumbai saw a footfall of 26 lakh passengers until 6 pm on Monday – up from 17 lakh on January 29. However, it became apparent immediately as the services resumed that trying to enforce physical distancing in trains is an impossible task. Most compartments were jam-packed with up to four commuters crammed on one seat, and others standing shoulder to shoulder.
