The growing nuisance of reels on loudspeakers in Chennai Metro trains

After an exhausting day, R. Muralikrishnan boards a train at the Thousand Lights Metro Rail station, grabs a seat, and finally looks forward to a bit of respite and rest. But headphone dodgers don’t allow it on some occasions. From Instagram Reels and YouTube Shorts to news and music videos, Metro Rail commuters said the practice of fellow passengers playing these on their phone speakers had become a regular source of nuisance.

“Some commuters lower the volume if we ask, but a few of them are just oblivious to the discomfort they are causing to others and continue blasting music on phone speakers. Shouldn’t people be mindful of what they do in public spaces?” Mr. Muralikrishnan asked.