Jag here writes about progressing from a walkman to an MP3 player.

Reminding me of my loyal device, which has kept me company over more than four years now. And I haven’t had any problems with it yet. Of course, it looks old and worn out. But it hasn’t given me much reason to complain, other than that. It’s a woman’s best friend in a city like Mumbai. And if you travel around often, you’ll probably know what I mean.

For one, it cuts out the noise on the road. When you are travelling in Mumbai, ear plugs are essential because of the noise levels. Everyone on the road is honking. And there are some really ghastly tunes out there.

It cuts out the noise in the compartment. Travel in a local train at peak hours and you’ll know what I mean. You cannot even imagine the cacophony that emerges out of a hundred odd women packed like sardines.

It cuts out the comments yucky leery men pass. I don’t think a single day goes by when you don’t get to hear some sidey comment from a creep standing on the road, or passing you by on the railway platform. When I first came to Mumbai, it was the most difficult thing to get used to. Over a period of time, you learn to either ignore it or block it out totally. But it never really goes away. I have even hit a few men who decided to take a step further by trying to paw their way around. But having a walkman plugged in helps a lot. At least you don’t have to hear what they are saying.

I was really happy when FM stations launched. And a few did actually play some good music. Unfortunately, all they play these days are remixes and Hindi numbers and there are only that many you can hear. So I hardly listen to radio anymore.

A CD player seems a little bulky to carry around in trains, as Jag says, so I guess I need to progress to a MP3 player myself.