Commute, but make it cute: How to travel by local trains and still look good

Updated On: 25 April, 2022 10:46 AM IST | Mumbai | Nascimento Pinto

Almost every Mumbaikar who travels by public transport has faced this: you set out looking your best but travelling in the Mumbai local ruins it all. Mumbaikars share easy hacks for people to still maintain their look until they reach their destination

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Commuters travelling by the crowded Mumbai local trains. Photo Credit: Ashish Raje/Mid-day file pic

Borivali-based Shreeya Namjoshi is very particular about looking professional when she reaches work. This means dressing to not only be fashionable but also formal in the workplace. Being a city-based publicist, her job entails spending time in the office setting as well as travelling to meet clients in and around the city. But there is one big challenge: the 26-year-old travels from Borivali to Andheri by a crowded Mumbai local train — which usually arrives packed from Vasai or Virar — every day.

Looking fashionable is a task if you are travelling by train, especially in a city like Mumbai which is infamous for its overcrowded trains with people packed like sardines. With the summer here and the trains operating in full swing, that means crumpled shirts, creased coats and hair all over the place. However, Namjoshi is one of many in the city, who have had to figure out ways around this and use inventive techniques to maintain their style quotient while commuting.

Scarf to the rescue
Since Namjoshi prefers to wear her hair loose at work, she has to go the extra mile to manage her tresses. “Since I like to look professional when I reach work, I tie my hair in a bun in the train,” she explains, “I not only wrap a scarf around my head but also my face from the start to the end of my journey.” This practice helps protect her from the sweat, dirt and stickiness. She notices that many women in the ladies` compartment do this. Once she reaches her workplace, all she has to do is add a touch of lipstick and powder to her face. She has bought at least six to seven scarfs and always has a spare one with her at all times for her hair.

Shreeya Namjoshi (left) likes to dress professional every day to work; Vishaka Chakrapani (right) always covers her hair while travelling in the Mumbai local train. Photo Courtesy: Shreeya Namjoshi/Vishaka Chakrapani

Thane-based Vishaka Chakrapani is another commuter who swears by the scarf method. She learnt this from experience. “I used to straighten my hair sometimes during my college days, for special events.” On one such occasion, while travelling in the train, Chakrapani was standing near the door with a lot of wind and that didn’t end well. “By the time I reached college, my straightened hair actually looked like I had got out of a cat fight,” shares the 29-year-old content writer, who used to travel daily from Bhandup to her college in Churchgate.

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Home / Lifestyle / Fashion / Article / Commute, but make it cute: How to travel by local trains and still look good