At Bombay Central in the 1980s, the platforms echoed with the sharp cry of porters and the deep rumble of diesel locomotives. Long-distance trains like the Gujarat Mail and the Flying Ranee pulled in with a metallic groan, their carriages sun-faded but full of stories. Vendors weaved through the crowds shouting “chai, garam chai!” and the smell of oily samosas mixed with iron and coal dust. Just outside the station, a sea of black-and-yellow Premier Padmini taxis waited in haphazard lines, their