Like an electric reptile, the tram rattles through the lanes of Kolkata, its two bogies inching along the steel tracks as a matter of habit. The Calcutta Tramway Company (CTC) has been ferrying people non-stop since 1902. Although first introduced to the city in 1873, when a 3.9-km route was established from the Sealdah area to Armenian Ghat Street, trams were discontinued in 1880. Once the service resumed at the dawn of the new century though, it never came to a halt. The tram is now laid to rest.
To become history one has to stop existing in the present, they say.
I would often take a tram ride to the University area or Writers Building. Sometimes, I would take a joy ride along the Maidan where the breeze would blow. I remember my mother would say that the ride from Calcutta University in College Street to the Belgachia Tram Depot wold cost only 15 paisa in the sixties. Trams would start early as 4 am and the last tram would be at 11 pm.
Bengali literature, cinema, photography and daily lives is blended with the tram in many ways. From Mrinal Sen to Satyajit Ray to Rabindranath Tagore, the tram is a visceral presence.
All photos are by Shome Basu.
