Excellent Chandranath - the above gives a hands-on feel of the places one is passing by! And brings on nostalgia in spades! Glorious Kolkata, when shall I feel thy arms around me again! Or rather when will the lock-down & its attendant travel restrictions end. And the Vidyasagar Setu, with its labyrinthine approaches had us deeply confused during our last road trip to Kolkata from Lucknow - when, on the return trip back to Lucknow, we were trying to access the Golden Quadrilateral.
Kolkata Trams: A Journey Through The Heart & Soul Of The City Of Joy
- Thread Starter Chandranath
- Start date
Thread Starter
#17
Yes you have labyrinthine similarities specially when the destination city is Lucknow, the home of the original labyrinth. And the approach roads on both sides are confusing for those who are not sure about the correct wing to take. And if you take the wrong one you are in for a half hour of effort to get back to the correct one.
But for those who are regulars and are aware it has proved to be a bliss.
But for those who are regulars and are aware it has proved to be a bliss.
Thread Starter
#18
Some mosques appeared as the Tram made its way over the bridge to enter Kidderpore area. (Pardon the quality of the picture of the bridge). Kidderpore is a busy area at any time of the day. Its bustling with life and cars are always jostling for space.
Kidderpore is famous for the dock on the River Ganges. It is one of the earliest establishments of Kolkata and the oldest operating port of India. It mainly handles cargo but has handled passenger ships as well principally to the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. As a port it usually handles more than 60 million tons of Cargo of various forms.
Kidderpore and more specifically Metia bruz and the Garden Reach area is also famous for the nearly extinct footprints of the great Nawab Wajid Ali Shah of Awadh (Lucknow). He happened to be the last ruler of the Nawab heritage in Uttar Pradesh’s princely Capital and legend has it that he was sort of forced out of his comfort in Lucknow in 1856 and he had reached somewhere in the Kidderpore docks in his steamer vessel on his way to Rngland to present his case to the Queen on whose justice he had a lot of faith. But as fate would have it his health did not permit and he was forced to stay back in Kolkata. A year later with the Sepoy Mutiny on in Lucknow he was imprisoned in Kolkata’s Fort William to be released again and given a forced retired life in luxurious bungalow by the Ganges in this area. He built a mini Lucknow here and brought in all the good and famous of that area to be one and own with Kolkata and more precisely the Metiaburuz area. Today he lays quietly buried somewhere in these interiors but his legend lives on in the entire city through the famous Awadhi Cuisine which Kolkata has adopted very fondly and taken a few notches higher. Among many other contributions of him is the art of tailoring and stitching which Kidderpore/ Metibruz area is famous for.
Unfortunately our tram will not run through these pages of History but will just touch upon them and take a left turn.
We now run on the roads again though slightly more disciplined but almost through the backyards of some of the old Christian Missionary schools like St. Thomas Kidderpore on one side and some lavish temples on the other.
And even as we were glued to the life going by as the tram moved on we got awakened from our spell by the conductor who had come up asking for the ticket to be paid.
Yes we did pay and were bowled over at the cheap rates. Just Rupees Six for a journey as long as this, connecting the Central part of Kolkata to down south crisscrossing such rich heritage.
As we neared the end of the Kidderpore area the placard of the Behala Flying Club came up. It was far away from here but worth a mention. It was planned to develop into a full fledged commercial Airort by the Airports Authority of India to ease the pressure off the main airport but does not seem to have made much headway. It still has some chopper services to tourist and industrial destinations like Digha and Malda. At present a flying school operates out of it.
We are now slowly entering the most posh localities of Kolkata that is Alipore.
Kidderpore is famous for the dock on the River Ganges. It is one of the earliest establishments of Kolkata and the oldest operating port of India. It mainly handles cargo but has handled passenger ships as well principally to the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. As a port it usually handles more than 60 million tons of Cargo of various forms.
Kidderpore and more specifically Metia bruz and the Garden Reach area is also famous for the nearly extinct footprints of the great Nawab Wajid Ali Shah of Awadh (Lucknow). He happened to be the last ruler of the Nawab heritage in Uttar Pradesh’s princely Capital and legend has it that he was sort of forced out of his comfort in Lucknow in 1856 and he had reached somewhere in the Kidderpore docks in his steamer vessel on his way to Rngland to present his case to the Queen on whose justice he had a lot of faith. But as fate would have it his health did not permit and he was forced to stay back in Kolkata. A year later with the Sepoy Mutiny on in Lucknow he was imprisoned in Kolkata’s Fort William to be released again and given a forced retired life in luxurious bungalow by the Ganges in this area. He built a mini Lucknow here and brought in all the good and famous of that area to be one and own with Kolkata and more precisely the Metiaburuz area. Today he lays quietly buried somewhere in these interiors but his legend lives on in the entire city through the famous Awadhi Cuisine which Kolkata has adopted very fondly and taken a few notches higher. Among many other contributions of him is the art of tailoring and stitching which Kidderpore/ Metibruz area is famous for.
Unfortunately our tram will not run through these pages of History but will just touch upon them and take a left turn.
We now run on the roads again though slightly more disciplined but almost through the backyards of some of the old Christian Missionary schools like St. Thomas Kidderpore on one side and some lavish temples on the other.
And even as we were glued to the life going by as the tram moved on we got awakened from our spell by the conductor who had come up asking for the ticket to be paid.
Yes we did pay and were bowled over at the cheap rates. Just Rupees Six for a journey as long as this, connecting the Central part of Kolkata to down south crisscrossing such rich heritage.
As we neared the end of the Kidderpore area the placard of the Behala Flying Club came up. It was far away from here but worth a mention. It was planned to develop into a full fledged commercial Airort by the Airports Authority of India to ease the pressure off the main airport but does not seem to have made much headway. It still has some chopper services to tourist and industrial destinations like Digha and Malda. At present a flying school operates out of it.
We are now slowly entering the most posh localities of Kolkata that is Alipore.
Thread Starter
#19
Alipore is regarded as one of India’s most affluent residential areas. It is home to the largest Zoological gardens of India as well as the National Library which too is supposedly the biggest in India in terms of its stock of books. The number of books amount to almost 2 million volumes housed in a colonial 18th Century Palace. Apart from this Alipore is full of plush bungalows and garden villa of the major Industrialists and owners of business houses or top executives of the leading MNCs and other institutions. It also includes some old Raj styled Bungalows of senior Govt. Officials including police officers. Two other major landmarks are the Horticultural Garden and the Central Jail (the tram car will be passing by the Jail).
The roads are neat and clean and comparatively less cluttered. The tram picked up good speed as it crossed this.
The Kolkata traffic Police is known to be one of the most efficient in the country not just on the traffic management but also on the enforcement of rules and traffic discipline. The iconic sight of its Traffic Seargent on each crossing dressed in full dazzling white including helmet with knee high boots, walkie talkie in hand, sunglass in the eye and the Red Royal Enfield Bullet (yes Bullet only and not any other version of the Royal Enfield) to flaunt is not just a commanding view to behold but a style statement as well. However missed catching the Bullet in all its glory on the route but did catch up with the more recent TVS Apche series of bikes which are being used as “City Watch” and its rider.
The tram reached to one end of Alipore and before exiting it the Central Jail a landmark in it’s own right appeared on the left. Also known as the Presidency Correctional Home it was built in 1864 and was where political prisoners were kept under British Rule then. While it had a whole lot of freedom fighters who graced as inmates within those tall red walls some notable ones pre and post independence were Rishi Shri Aurobindo, Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose, Shri Bidhan Chandra Ray (the first and arguably the most illustrious chief minister of West Bengal) and Charu Mazumder (of the Naxalite formation fame). The total capacity of the Jail is 2000 approx but since then around 2019 the jail has slowly got relocated to a place slightly outside Kolkata to Baruipur to allow more space and modern security facility. Also a jail in the heart of the most posh part of the city was also probably not making sense any more.
The tram moved past it and climbed the small bridge over Tolly Nullah which is also called the Adi Ganga. This is on one end of the Alipore jail. Slightly upstream on the other bank lies the Kalighat Mandir.
This small place of worship is on the other side of the bridge as the tram climbs down.
We now enter almost the fag end of the journey in Kalighat / Hazra area. Read on..
The roads are neat and clean and comparatively less cluttered. The tram picked up good speed as it crossed this.
The Kolkata traffic Police is known to be one of the most efficient in the country not just on the traffic management but also on the enforcement of rules and traffic discipline. The iconic sight of its Traffic Seargent on each crossing dressed in full dazzling white including helmet with knee high boots, walkie talkie in hand, sunglass in the eye and the Red Royal Enfield Bullet (yes Bullet only and not any other version of the Royal Enfield) to flaunt is not just a commanding view to behold but a style statement as well. However missed catching the Bullet in all its glory on the route but did catch up with the more recent TVS Apche series of bikes which are being used as “City Watch” and its rider.
The tram reached to one end of Alipore and before exiting it the Central Jail a landmark in it’s own right appeared on the left. Also known as the Presidency Correctional Home it was built in 1864 and was where political prisoners were kept under British Rule then. While it had a whole lot of freedom fighters who graced as inmates within those tall red walls some notable ones pre and post independence were Rishi Shri Aurobindo, Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose, Shri Bidhan Chandra Ray (the first and arguably the most illustrious chief minister of West Bengal) and Charu Mazumder (of the Naxalite formation fame). The total capacity of the Jail is 2000 approx but since then around 2019 the jail has slowly got relocated to a place slightly outside Kolkata to Baruipur to allow more space and modern security facility. Also a jail in the heart of the most posh part of the city was also probably not making sense any more.
The tram moved past it and climbed the small bridge over Tolly Nullah which is also called the Adi Ganga. This is on one end of the Alipore jail. Slightly upstream on the other bank lies the Kalighat Mandir.
This small place of worship is on the other side of the bridge as the tram climbs down.
We now enter almost the fag end of the journey in Kalighat / Hazra area. Read on..
Thanks once again Chandranath - nostalgia re-visited! Now please tell me, would you suggest that we visit Kolkata today? How is the transport situation within Kolkata at present? One gets a picture from the TV channels which may be quite different from the ground reality!
Your Kolkata trams anthology is a very pleasant experience - keep it coming!
Your Kolkata trams anthology is a very pleasant experience - keep it coming!
Thread Starter
#22
Thanks once again, Kolkata is normal on non lockdown days. And internal transportation wise its one of the best in the country as you would know.
Thanks a ton
Nicely written bro!! Thank you for sharing ![[clap]](https://www.theautomotiveindia.com/forums/images/smilies/Clap.gif "Clap [clap]")
Very well written with a narrative which goes well with the pics.Thanks for sharing with us.
From your pics its quite obvious that the tram cars themselves are in a very bad shape.They are poorly maintained,dented from all sides and rusted to glory. Its our heritage,and must be preserved accordingly,with proper care.
From your pics its quite obvious that the tram cars themselves are in a very bad shape.They are poorly maintained,dented from all sides and rusted to glory. Its our heritage,and must be preserved accordingly,with proper care.
Thread Starter
#24
Yes most of the tram cars are in bad shape. But some of them specially the single carriage ones have been renovated for tourism purpose and comes attached with an aircondition too.
Thread Starter
#25
As we entered the Kalighat area the first thing to strike was the massive gate constructed on one of the roads leading to the Kalighat temple. The gate is a recent addition to the landscape but the temple is old and World renowned. Its a colonial era temple dedicated to the Hindu Goddess of power, empowerment and liberation, Kali. The temple is situated on the now almost defunct narrow river called Adi Ganga, the one which the Tram crossed just after going past the Alipore Central Jail. It is said that the Ganga used to flow through here but now has shifted and the ghat was called KaliGhat.
The 200 year old Kalighat temple is one of the 51 Shakti Peeths as per old Hindu Mythology and is believed that the right big toe of Sati had fallen here post the Daksha Yagna. Mythology asides this is regarded as one of the holiest of the temples across India which is a must visit for all Religious and Spiritual minded people.
The tram car now meandered itself dividing Kalighat area on its right and Bhowanipore area on its left. Kalighat/ Bhowanipore were not part of the original Kolkata which was mainly in the North of the city. But with the city expanding during the British regime and under the old Bengali Zamindari time areas like Bhowanipore became the new hot spots in the pre independence era and find mention in periodical novels like "Sahib Bibi Ghulam" written by the legendary Bimal Mitra. Today these areas appear on the subtle borderline between historical relevance and modern adaptation.
The Southern part of Harish Mukherjee Road which cuts across the entire Bhowanipore area and a major arterial road of Kolkata connecting South with the Central part.
The tram rambles to Hazra Crossing/ Jatin Das Road from where it takes a Southwardly turn to enter its last leg towards it final destination Tollygunge.
Basusree Cinama hall is something which is etched into the notalgia of a lot of South Kolkattans. It was built and started just after Independance in the year 1947. Satyajit Ray's classic "Pather Panchali" was premiered here and attended by the Chief Minister Dr. B.C. Roy and the great Ray himself. Many of Uttam Kumar's movies and Bollywood blockbusters like Mughal-e- Azam too have had their runs here and I had fond memories of a lot of Mithun Chakraborty movies being screened here too. One of the biggest and luxurious single hall movie theater of its time was in a sorry state as the tram ran past it. Today as I write this piece its shut down due to lockdown/ covid pandemic with owners already having notified there intentions of not reopening again even after the normalisation of situation.
We now prepare to get down as we near our destination stop.. Read on.
The 200 year old Kalighat temple is one of the 51 Shakti Peeths as per old Hindu Mythology and is believed that the right big toe of Sati had fallen here post the Daksha Yagna. Mythology asides this is regarded as one of the holiest of the temples across India which is a must visit for all Religious and Spiritual minded people.
The tram car now meandered itself dividing Kalighat area on its right and Bhowanipore area on its left. Kalighat/ Bhowanipore were not part of the original Kolkata which was mainly in the North of the city. But with the city expanding during the British regime and under the old Bengali Zamindari time areas like Bhowanipore became the new hot spots in the pre independence era and find mention in periodical novels like "Sahib Bibi Ghulam" written by the legendary Bimal Mitra. Today these areas appear on the subtle borderline between historical relevance and modern adaptation.
The Southern part of Harish Mukherjee Road which cuts across the entire Bhowanipore area and a major arterial road of Kolkata connecting South with the Central part.
The tram rambles to Hazra Crossing/ Jatin Das Road from where it takes a Southwardly turn to enter its last leg towards it final destination Tollygunge.
Basusree Cinama hall is something which is etched into the notalgia of a lot of South Kolkattans. It was built and started just after Independance in the year 1947. Satyajit Ray's classic "Pather Panchali" was premiered here and attended by the Chief Minister Dr. B.C. Roy and the great Ray himself. Many of Uttam Kumar's movies and Bollywood blockbusters like Mughal-e- Azam too have had their runs here and I had fond memories of a lot of Mithun Chakraborty movies being screened here too. One of the biggest and luxurious single hall movie theater of its time was in a sorry state as the tram ran past it. Today as I write this piece its shut down due to lockdown/ covid pandemic with owners already having notified there intentions of not reopening again even after the normalisation of situation.
We now prepare to get down as we near our destination stop.. Read on.
Thread Starter
#26
On the other side of Basusree Cinema was an ancient Church
Jostling for space alongside was the Kalighat Tram Depot. Functional since 1881 this is perhaps the oldest of the 8 tram depots spread across the city. It surely had a rich history booming with action but sadly lay a lot neglected and making way for the buses which the tram company was now plying alongside the trams.
Our destination Rashbehari crossing was fast approaching and we got up and stood by the door. The doors of the tram are very wide and I remembered my school days when once or twice a week we used to return in the trams and my favourite spot used to be by the gate. It was wide enough for me not to have obstructed other passenger's movements and hence the conductors never used to mind even though seats might have been vacant. Boarding and deboarding the trams nowadays is a concern. Over the years to increase road space the dedicated tram alleys have been done away with and the tracks have been laid on the road itself. So even as we prepare to get down other modern and faster vehicles went whizzing past us.
But as is in the laid back city of Kolkata however you might be in a hurry, you still have time and care to be careful with the passengers disembarking. As we got down the tram made its way on to its final resting depot in Tollygunge which would be another 4 km away down south. It truly was a nostalgic and memorable journey as we bade farewell one last time to the car.
But were we done with our days excursion and soul exploring. No not surely and keeping in trend with the City's mindset we decided to end it all with a "sumptuous" late evening snacks. We were on a heritage drive and picked up one of the oldest and famous tea / snacks joints in that area called "Radhu Babu's" shop by the Lake Market. It was the tiniest of tiniest shops with 8 people struggling to sit inside and 5 times more people standing outside either to gain an entry or to have their food standing outside.
We too opted stand out and munch into the bread toasts along with some delicious mutton stew. Food items here are dam cheap.
The beauty of the toast is that they toast up one side of it only and leaves the other side raw.
The mutton pieces were as tender as they could be and the stew as bland but yet as tasty as it could be.
Thus ended an eventful day which I had been planning for some time. From the busy business districts of Esplanade/ Dalhousie through the easy going Maidan down south to the more moden Rashbehari/ Lake Market not only had we traversed a long distance but it was symbolic of the tram too covering a long history. A history it will be proud of but a present it will be concerned about,
Jostling for space alongside was the Kalighat Tram Depot. Functional since 1881 this is perhaps the oldest of the 8 tram depots spread across the city. It surely had a rich history booming with action but sadly lay a lot neglected and making way for the buses which the tram company was now plying alongside the trams.
Our destination Rashbehari crossing was fast approaching and we got up and stood by the door. The doors of the tram are very wide and I remembered my school days when once or twice a week we used to return in the trams and my favourite spot used to be by the gate. It was wide enough for me not to have obstructed other passenger's movements and hence the conductors never used to mind even though seats might have been vacant. Boarding and deboarding the trams nowadays is a concern. Over the years to increase road space the dedicated tram alleys have been done away with and the tracks have been laid on the road itself. So even as we prepare to get down other modern and faster vehicles went whizzing past us.
But as is in the laid back city of Kolkata however you might be in a hurry, you still have time and care to be careful with the passengers disembarking. As we got down the tram made its way on to its final resting depot in Tollygunge which would be another 4 km away down south. It truly was a nostalgic and memorable journey as we bade farewell one last time to the car.
But were we done with our days excursion and soul exploring. No not surely and keeping in trend with the City's mindset we decided to end it all with a "sumptuous" late evening snacks. We were on a heritage drive and picked up one of the oldest and famous tea / snacks joints in that area called "Radhu Babu's" shop by the Lake Market. It was the tiniest of tiniest shops with 8 people struggling to sit inside and 5 times more people standing outside either to gain an entry or to have their food standing outside.
We too opted stand out and munch into the bread toasts along with some delicious mutton stew. Food items here are dam cheap.
The beauty of the toast is that they toast up one side of it only and leaves the other side raw.
The mutton pieces were as tender as they could be and the stew as bland but yet as tasty as it could be.
Thus ended an eventful day which I had been planning for some time. From the busy business districts of Esplanade/ Dalhousie through the easy going Maidan down south to the more moden Rashbehari/ Lake Market not only had we traversed a long distance but it was symbolic of the tram too covering a long history. A history it will be proud of but a present it will be concerned about,
Thread Starter
#28
Lovely and very lively picture Samba. Captures 3 icons of Kolkata in one go. The trams, the all white Kolkata police and the celebrated phuchkawala.
Thread Starter
#29
A recent view of one of the trams
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A mouth-watering conclusion to a very interesting day! Like you said, the prices are amazingly cheap and the quality fabulous. This is unique about Kolkata street food. No other city has street food at comparable prices and offering the same great quality.
Regards,
Shashanka
A very interesting composition Samba, as Chandranath says. Before going further, I wanted to ask you if you are the same Samba that I knew on another forum, who had written a wonderful travelogue on his trip to Sandakphu on the 4WD Duster. If you are the same Samba, let me say its great to meet you here! Have you made any further trips after Sandakphu?
Regards,
Shashanka
Great capture of the new tram, Chandranath. I hope that CTC is able to refurbish the other remaining tram cars in the same way. It would make for a worthy tourist attraction.
The photo of the parrot was taken during happier times!
Regards,
Shashanka
Regards,
Shashanka
A very interesting composition Samba, as Chandranath says. Before going further, I wanted to ask you if you are the same Samba that I knew on another forum, who had written a wonderful travelogue on his trip to Sandakphu on the 4WD Duster. If you are the same Samba, let me say its great to meet you here! Have you made any further trips after Sandakphu?
Regards,
Shashanka
Great capture of the new tram, Chandranath. I hope that CTC is able to refurbish the other remaining tram cars in the same way. It would make for a worthy tourist attraction.
The photo of the parrot was taken during happier times!
Regards,
Shashanka
