TRAIN OF THOUGHT

I have lived in Mumbai practically my whole life. However, growing up, I never really could make sense of the city. It was constantly changing and morphing to cater to the needs of the growing population. After some travel and an understanding of how different cities operate, I came to a conclusion that Mumbai is madness.

I distinctly remember having this conversation with a German fellow that I encountered during one of my travels. He seemed very excited to meet an Indian. He said something like, " I have been in India a couple of times & I love it! I mean, It's crazy. What the hell was an elephant doing on the same road as the vehicles, street vendors, people and shops? In spite of all the chaos that congregated at one place at one time, everything seemed to work smoothly and people still got their job done. Considering the population of your country, I fail to understand how you function. "

I wrote this conversation down in my book. However, I still don't know ho we function.

MUMBAI

Mumbai is India's corporate powerhouse with 23 million people living here. It is the world's 7th most densely populated city. Apart from being the most crowded, busiest, loudest (Did you know Mumbai is 64 times louder than New York?), hottest and chaotic city, it is also one of the most vibrant, diverse and accommodating city.

I have always been fascinated by the diversity in Mumbai. Every corner that you turn your head to has a different story to tell. The concoction of these stories is what makes Mumbai unique and endearing. Train of thought was my humble attempt to understand the city.

CHAOS

Thousands of people migrate to Mumbai every year in search of job opportunities. This puts tremendous load on the city’s resources. Due to geographical constraints, the city expands towards the Northern end, whereas the most of the industries and commercial spaces hold their ground in the South. This leads to people travelling long distances for work. And the only efficient, quick and cheap way to do that is the Mumbai Local Trains. This is a not just a mode of transport for a regular Mumbaikar but an ecosystem, a family. The Local Train transports about 7.4 million people everyday.

The limits of this system are being tested time and again. This book takes you through diverse narratives that are woven together by a single thread- The Mumbai Locals.

During the research, I talked to a lot of people associated with the Mumbai Locals. I wrote down their stories observations, insights, complains. I had my own biases, being a regular commuter for 7 years. Through all these conversations, one word kept repeating itself, and that was, chaos. “Mumbai is chaotic,” they'd all say. If indeed, it is chaos, is 'order' the solution?

SKETCHES

AUGMENTED REALITY

For an immersive experience, all the illustrations in the book are scannable. These illustrations are to be scanned with the Artivive App which is redily available on Playstore and Appstore. These scans bring the static images to life and the ambient sounds from the city itself gives you a wholesome experience.

If you think chaos, you will seek order.

But if you look for patterns, you may find answers.

- Devdutta Pattanaik