In the contemporary
air-conditioned jungle of Delhi Metro Rail Corporation, one can experience
every element of wilderness, and any avid viewer of Man Vs Wild will tell you that it is not easy to survive in the
wild (good guy Bear Grylls). To ensure their survival, organisms need to hunt.
They must successfully trace and kill the weak by using their predatory skills
and tactics. Amazingly, jungle of Delhi metro which is blessed with myriad
organisms (completely untamed and uncivilized) stands out as the best place to
study hunting strategies and patterns.
Within the premise of
metro coaches, the act of hunting is monopolized by a feminine breed of
predators. They don’t hunt for flesh or blood. They feed on what is considered
priceless by many metrologists- the metro seat. Interestingly, there are
multiple effective hunting patterns employed by them.
- Polite method: This is the most commonly used method which somehow proves out to be less painful for the prey. With utter ‘politeness’, the target is simply asked to surrender its seat and die peacefully. By coming to an agreement, although not mutual, the overall mess is avoided. The popular belief is that the act of seat offering is a way to show respect to the mighty predator but critic believe that it’s more out of fear than politeness.
- Gazing method: This style of hunting is now tightening its group in arena of metro hunting. In this technique, a randomly selected victim is constantly gazed upon and a psychological pressure is built so that it quit its seat without showing any sign of struggle. According to a study conducted by DMRC in 2012-13, the success rate of this method ranges from 80-90%.
- Authoritative
method: Also known as “dominating method”, this style of hunting is
often criticized for being unethical even for the standard of metro. With
all the authority and pinch of bluntness the target is asked to sacrifice
its valuable seat.
However, many get confused between the polite and authoritative method. The main difference lies in the way that prey is asked to give up its seat. It may not change anything. But this practice highlights the failure of judiciary and administrative systems within the metro line.
- Hunting in Herd: This collaborative form of hunting promises a win-win situation for each herd member. Usually seen in a group of 3-4, they jointly employ any suitable method depending on the circumstances. It doesn't really matter if the targets are sitting in their marked territory or not, even if they are found nearby their reserved area, they are bound to be killed.
- Temporary partnership: This is often labeled as the
most deceiving method. Two predators, although strangers, makes a pact on
temporary basis. One who is already blessed with a seat will help other to
get one too. As soon as the adjacent seat gets empty, 'Treaty of Seats' comes into effect. Seated predator will shift to the vacant area, offering
its own seat to the hungry one. It may look like an act of animality but
the aspiring candidate, standing in front has to suffer. The unlucky one
is “just gonno stand there and watch it (dream to get a seat) burn”.
