The trains are the life line of Bombay. They are packed to capacity and it is inhuman to travel in them but the people have no option. The roads are dug up and traffic is horrible.
The trains also serve as the main source of livelihood for thousands of hawkers who sell their wares on them. The picture above is of one such hawker. He carries a big bucket in which he has 4 different types of crackers. Crackers are really a bad analogy but I can’t think of any other way to describe it. He mixes up the 4 crackers, adds some spice and lemon. He puts them on a small sheet of newspaper and sells them for 10 cents. He will go from one coach of a train to another coach and do that all day. A significant percentage of what he makes will be paid in bribes to various people in authority so that they allow him to sell his wares on trains.
He is one of the lucky ones because he can make 5 cents on every sale. There are kids and blind people who sell small pieces of hard candy on trains. They carry a bag that has about 100 pieces of hard candy. They sell 2 pieces of candy for 2 cents and 5 pieces of 4 cents. Some of them sing and scream out to attract attention so that they can sell their hard candy. They probably make enough money to buy themselves dinner. Most of them live on the stations or under overpasses. It is commendable that they choose to live an honest life under such trying circumstances. I doubt I would make an honest living if I were in their shoes. It probably speaks more about me than about them but that is what I feel about myself.
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