More Than Just a Ride: Mumbai Local Train Community Celebrate Festivals

Tell someone to picture Mumbai’s local trains and the first thing they will say is a locomotive filled to the brim with people, sweating, pushing, arguing, fighting for space, either heading to or from work. While all of it is true, there’s more to this vital part of Mumbai than just the crowd and unending delays. It’s in these very local trains that people celebrate not just birthdays and special occasions but also Indian festivals. From decorating the trains for Dussehra to playing garba during Navratri, the local train sees it all. But most importantly, it sees the community that travels together every single day and transforms a boring commute into a jashna! 

Local Samosa spoke with commuters who travel in Mumbai’s local trains, be it for work or college, and gathered some truly delightful insights into the community!

Diwali Celebrations in Local Trains

A week before Dhanteras, the group the article’s writer travels with everyday, started discussing Diwali celebrations. From asking which day would be the best to discussing the menu and outfits, this odd group of 50+ year old uncles, GenZ office goers and everyone in between was excited. Having just celebrated Dussehra with a bang, the festive vibes continued to create excitement.

And on Dhanteras, all these people dressed up in ethnic wear, heading to work, boarded their usual train. The task was to decorate the local train compartment in 6 minutes; the time it took to travel between two stations. And thus began the fervour of putting on pataka (flag bunting) on every available surface with tiny colourful lanterns hanging from hand bars. With the space all decked up for the festive season, out came the snack boxes. One was full of Diwali Faral, traditional Maharashtrian goodies like chakli, karanji, chivda, shakarpale and laddoo. The other had a cheesy samosa, a cutlet, various types of dhokla and some tiny idlis with chutney. And there was Maaza to quench your thirst after having put on the decorations in record speed. 

The thoughtfulness and the sense of community shines here, with a small packet of the traditional and quintessential Utane, a natural, herbal, Ayurvedic ubtan or scrub that is used on the body during Diwali, sitting on top of all the snacks boxes!

Mumbai Trains Dressed for the Festivities

On the day before Dussehra, which is Saraswati Puja, it’s a ritual to watch the local train pull onto the platform in the morning, adorned with garlands. It is because on this day, it is also Ayudha Puja, the worship of tools, instruments, and machinery. And for Mumbaikars, no machinery is as important as the lifeline of the city, the local trains!

Not only does Indian Railways deck up the trains by applying haldi kumkum and putting on marigold garlands, but the passengers do too. You will see strings of colourful pataka, streamers and draperies at the doors, windows, on the handrails and even the baggage racks as well as stuck to the fans. 

It’s Even More Special for Women

Every year, there have been social media videos becoming viral sensations with women performing Garba while journeying through the city. Clad in traditional attire, the spirited dancers have been lighting up the crowded carriages, especially during their lively performance at Kalyan station.

“I would wear a mogra gajra on special occasions and festivals. And every time, my fellow travellers would compliment me, saying the gajra simply completed the festive vibes. Birthdays were unique too. The “birthday girl” (all grown up working women) would distribute sweets and candy. Someone would bring a cake and someone would get the gift. All of it involved contribution from all of us. No matter how early these women would have to get up, they would come dressed up, looking gorgeous around Navratri, Diwali and more such occasions,” says Mrs. Neeta Pathak, a retired government employee. She moved to Mumbai in 1989 and local trains have been a part of her everyday life since then.

She smiles as she remembers the Chaitra Haldi Kumkum events that would be conducted amongst these friends on the trains. Haldi Kumkum is a special event for women that happens during the Hindu month of Chaitra. Married women invite each other over, apply haldi kumkum to them, give them a small gift called Vaan and offer snacks. It is an excuse for these women to come together and have fun.  “We had a theme every year. Like sarees of a singular craft like Narayan Peth or a specific colour. There would be Vaan and snacks. A merry time filled with laughter and joy," adds Mrs. Pathak.

Friendships Formed for Decades

Mr. R S Pathak, a retired banker says, “I started travelling in local trains the day I moved to Mumbai in 1976. And I have made friends on these very trains since then. Spending an hour or more commuting from Dombivli to CSMT gives you the time to forge such friendships,” he chuckles.

For his retirement, he gave a box full of snacks to 30-odd people in his train compartment. This is a tradition that happens pre-Dussehra and Diwali as the groups of commuters wish each other on the occasion of the festivals. “It’s the fact that I have been seeing some of these faces for decades now. Mr. Naik, an advocate, became a friend of mine in 1983 since we used to travel to Fort in the same train every single day. The day I retired, he was there. We hadn’t seen each other for years, he had changed careers, we both had lost hair and gained weight. But we were back in the same Mumbai local and that’s the real Bambai Nagariya for us!”

“I remember when I first started travelling in local trains in 1976, men would play cards. That tradition continues till date, though not followed as rigorously as before. Each part of this journey held significance for different communities. Sindhis who travelled from Ulhasnagar and Ambernath would chant ‘Aayo Lal Jhule Lal’ as they geared up for their businesses,” he shared.

The “Local” Celebrities

Another major thing that’s synonymous with Mumbai local trains is the Bhajans in Ambernath trains. For decades now, a group that has evolved over the years and welcomed new members sings bhajans in the trains. Men, of all ages, professions and communities sing bhajans and play instruments. This consistent part of the culture of local trains reaches its peak during Pandharpur Wari. The Pandharpur Wari is a centuries-old pilgrimage in Maharashtra, India, during which devotees journey to the shrine of Lord Vithoba in Pandharpur. The event involves vibrant processions, singing, and communal participation, celebrating devotion and spirituality.

The Warkaris—whose patron deity is Vithoba—undertake the wari to Pandharpur, reaching there on a day before Shayani Ekadashi, the eleventh lunar day (Ekadashi) of the bright fortnight (Shukla Paksha) of Ashadha (June–July). And those who can’t take part in Wari, join in the celebration of this Ekadashi by enjoying the melodious bhajans sung. The entire local train can hear this event that takes place in one compartment full of commuters. People bring Pakhawaj (barrel-shaped, two-headed drum), taal (or manjira jalra, karatala, kartal or gini) (a pair of clash cymbals) and even harmonium (a keyboard instrument). 

Whether it’s chanting “Ganpati Bappa Morya” when the local train crosses Mulund station or discussing outfits they will be wearing in the trains for a festival, there’s nothing like being a local train commuter. These very people become an extended family that travels together every day and shares joy and grief. The community that Mumbaikars build in these trains is the most diverse and helping one you will come across in this country.