Mumbai locals, also known as lifeline of Mumbaikars are unfortunately more synonymous to overcrowding, chaos and massive rush. Be it the early morning fast train from Virar to Churchgate or late night last train from CSMT to Karjat or Panvel, these locals never go empty. Many Daily commuters who spend hours of their lives commuting in these locals have found their own ways to cover their time in doing something more productive than just dodging their way inside.
If you notice, some are busy reading books while some are glued to their binge watching, some are busy reserving seats for their group members, mostly to play a game of LUDO with them while some are simply excited to gossip around with their ‘train buddies.’ Everyone has newfound ways to make their journeys fruitful. But, it’s not as easy to get peace in Mumbai locals as it sounds, but this new readers community have made it possible!
TAKE A LOOK:
A quiet reading movement is now catching attention across the lifeline of Mumbai. A group of readers has been spotted peacefully travelling together, immersed in their books and bringing an unusual calm to the otherwise chaotic compartments. Imagine rushing into a crowded coach and suddenly noticing a pocket of silence, heads down, pages turning, and not a single seat argument in sight.
“Everybody (like the regular commuter) was so confused after seeing so many people had boarded the train and were reading books sincerely,” said Shraddha Kamble, 29, in an exclusive conversation with The Free Press Journal.
Shraddha has been a part of the Mumbai Bookies community since June 2025 and continues to attend their sessions regularly. She shared that reading inside a local train was a first-time experience for the group and one of their most memorable ones yet.
“The compartment was full of Bookies and there was no place left for anyone else. I must say that this experience was something different. Mumbai locals are usually chaotic, and we were reading books as if nothing bothered us. It was the best journey from Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus to Panvel,” she added.
So the next time you rush into a packed local hoping to grab the window seat and instead find a group quietly flipping pages, don’t be surprised. After all, Mumbai belongs to everyone and now, even its busiest trains are making space for a little peace.
