Me, standing at the entrance of a Patel Chowk-bound train, Mozart’s Lacrimosa playing in my ears.

Man, sprinting from the stairs, towards my metro car’s entrance.

Man, yelling: Hayooda? Hayooda? Hayooda?

Me, yelling, hand outstretched to stop him: Nahin, nahin! Bombardier!

The man, skids to a halt just outside the door.

The doors close.

The train shimmies out of Rajiv Chowk.

The back of my head feels like it is on fire. I, very tentatively, turn around to find 150 bewildered and mildly-disturbed faces, asking me the question I’m asking myself, “Dude! What just happened?”

So glad that the very next stop is Patel Chowk. I’m the first to make it out the station’s exit! Phew!

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Okay. What ‘just’ happened:

Bombardier:

• A company that provides rakes and cars for the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation.
• When travelling alone, I wait for Bombardier trains to come along. I do not like the cars manufactured by other companies. Sue me! 😐

Hayooda is Delhi-speak for:

• HUDA City Centre. It is the last stop on the metro line, and more commonly referred to as ‘Hayooda‘, ‘Hooooda’, ‘Huddda’, and the likes. The man was simply asking if the train was headed for HUDA City Centre. It was.

“Yes, Hayooda! Get in, sir!“ would have been a correct response to that poor man.

• But, alas! Riding atop Mozart’s gorgeous overtures, when the man yelled Hayooda, I thought he meant Hyundai – and that he had a preference for Hyundai rakes and cars. I tried to give him what he wanted and confidently asked him not to board!