The faces behind the voices on Mumbai locals

Short documentary series Meet the Voice puts a face to railway announcers

Visually-challenged announcer Ganesh Shrinivas (centre).

In 1982, when Sarala Chaudhari joined Indian Railways, little did she know she was making history by being part of the first batch of women announcers. The railways were recruiting children of employees for a trial in the announcements department and for Chaudhari, it was simply a good way to kill time. But her voice was so well received that she became a permanent employee and for the next 22 years, she was heard every day, directing passengers on Mumbai’s railway platforms and local trains.

Today, as superintendent of the Overhead Electrical Department, she occupies a small, forgotten office in Kalyan, where documentary filmmaker Disha Rindani met her and decided to chronicle her life in a short film. Produced by Jai Mehta, the documentary on Chaudhari is one segment of a three-part series called Meet the Voice that recently dropped on YouTube. “No one comes looking for [the announcers], so they really blossom when someone wants to know who is behind that voice,” says the 25-year-old filmmaker.

In 2014, a documentary on Charlie Pellett, the voice of New York City subway, made Rindani curious about the announcements she had heard on her daily commute from Malad to Churchgate during her college days.

She found out about Chaudhari through some media reports and in the process of interviewing her, discovered her second subject — Ganesh Shrinivas, a visually-challenged announcer.

The second short film in the series introduces us to Shrinivas, a railway employee who loves to direct people over the mic and enjoys listening to The Carpenters to unwind. “People don’t know there are blind announcers,” he says, while working on his computer. “Sometimes people come to make announcements for missing persons and that’s when they find out we are blind.”

Sarala Chaudhari was part of the first batch of women announcers at Indian Railways.

For the third part in the series, Rindani wanted to take the narrative forward and establish why the thankless job of a railway announcer is indispensable. That’s when she learnt about Vishnu Zende who was on duty during the 26/11 attacks at Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus.

Trapped in his office, his presence of mind and continuous announcements directed the terrified passengers to safety. One such survivor, J. Sanil, who is introduced to us in the documentary, calls Zende’s announcements the “voice of God” which helped him dodge the terrorists.

Through these three stories, Meet the Voice also documents the evolution of Mumbai’s local trains over the years, from the rickety old nine-coach trains to the newly introduced air-conditioned ones. In the series, Chaudhari recalls the time when announcements began to be pre-recorded and she heard her voice for the first time while boarding a train. “It sounded so familiar to me,” she laughs.

For Mehta and Rindani, the local trains are, in many ways, a microcosm of Mumbai. But capturing its vibrancy proved to be a challenge owing to lack of permissions. “It’s difficult to shoot guerrilla because the authorities are not stupid,” says Mehta, who lent Rindani a small camera to shoot discreetly. “That’s also why I came in as a producer,” he laughs.

Three years in the making, the duo is pleased with the results and wishes to continue producing non-fiction films. “Many people think of young filmmakers as narcissistic and entitled because we make films that look inside as opposed to looking outwards. I feel non-fiction allows you that,” says Rindani.

kennith.rosario@thehindu.co.in