"Because I was asked by a friend if I would help, you know – that's all," George Harrison, Concert For Bangladesh press conference, 27 July 1971
As I started to gather my thoughts on Tramjatra, the above quote came to mind. Just like George Harrison answered his friend Ravi Shankar’s urgent plea to do something to raise awareness about the dire situation in Bangladesh, our friends from Melbourne responded to Debasish Bhattacharyya’s SOS regarding Calcutta’s trams. And similar to the musicians, they did all this out of the goodness of their hearts, thinking beyond themselves for a worthy cause. For me, Tramjatra, over and above everything else symbolises this universal friendship - spanning age, time and place, a meeting of the Orient and the Occident – where everybody is welcome.
Growing up, trams always held a fascination for me. I do not have logical explanation for this as most of my childhood (except for a brief period in my earliest childhood spent in a house overlooking tramlines on APC Road) was spent in areas not served by trams. Maybe those earliest tram memories got lodged in the subconscious somehow fueling this life-long obsession with trams. In the more recent past, I was able to avail of trams quite extensively specially in the south of Calcutta, trams originating from Ballygunge and Gariahat. Vastly preferring a tram when multiple travel options are available, the ability of a tram journey to elevate an otherwise ordinary experience to something special always amazed me. When one travels on a tram, the experience is visceral and it is possible to fully immerse oneself into the life unfolding outside the windows, without taking an active part.
My true tryst with Tramjatra started in 2012. Prior to 2012, I only had a high-level awareness of Tramjatra, especially through the extensive print media coverage back in 2001, but not to a great extent. A social media post told me that a Paribeshbandhu Tramjatra will take place in December. Armed with this information, I headed towards Esplanade Terminus on a Sunday morning (16 December, 2012). I did not have much idea about what to expect, nor was I acquainted with anyone connected with the event. Arriving before noon, I found the terminus pretty much deserted. My attempts to gather details about the event from folks at the Esplanade Traffic Control office was unsuccessful. Nonetheless, I decided to wait inside the office. After a while, I could see two gentlemen coming down the corridor – they were attired in blue shirts with a sketch of the human lung in white (which I learnt later were called shared lung t-shirts and the details inside the lungs depicted the tram maps of Calcutta and Melbourne) and shorts, one of them was carrying a big box under his arm (which I later learnt contained the highly sought after Tramjatra cards and tickets). I approached the duo (it was Roberto D’Andrea and Craig Allen) and introduced myself. “Ah, he has seen the social media posts!”, remarked Roberto.
Within 5 minutes, they felt like old acquaintances. From their discussions I learnt that the Tramjatra tram is parked at Belgatchia Depot. They graciously invited me to join them as we took a yellow taxi to Belgatchia. From complete strangers to a shared taxi ride – all in a span of an hour. On reaching Belgatchia, Roberto and Craig engaged with the CTC staff and the children, distributing cards and speaking their “chhota Bangla” and acting a bit “pagol”. The level of enthusiasm was at par on both sides – the first time I witnessed how our Aussie friends’ natural warmth and openness was able to form friendships with effortless ease. I boarded the Tramjatra tram as it headed out from Belgatchia and stayed for the entire journey until the evening when the tram reached Esplanade. Looking back, the Paribeshbandhu Tramjatra was one of the most memorable experiences for me in 2012.
I met Roberto briefly when he returned with the Gitanjali Tramjatra in 2013. However, it was in 2016, on the occasion of Tramjatra 20th anniversary that my involvement expanded. I was able to join the 2016 on multiple days including the inauguration. It was in 2016 when I met many of the gunzels who had come together on the occasion. I met Sourosankha and Mahadeb for the first time and became good friends. I was able to witness Roberto’s (now) historic speech at the inauguration when he urged the audience to come together and form a “third voice” for Calcutta’s trams.
As part of my participation in Tramjatra, I was able to get a fly-on-the-wall experience of Roberto’s interaction with the tram workers, especially at Belgatchia Depot, a Depot particularly close to his heart. As I watched Roberto interacting with the tram workers at the depot, the overwhelming vibe I felt was one of mutual love and respect, transcending language and nationality, an association with trams being the only common factor. It was quite apparent observing the interactions that the CTC staff found a true kindred spirit in Roberto and the palpable warmth and goodwill served as a shining example of the universality of the human experience. Just after Tramjatra 2016, a tram forum was held at Esplanade where I had the pleasure of meeting another of the original Tramjatrans, Debasish Bhattacharyya. The event announcement read as follows:
“A tram forum will take place in Esplanade this Saturday from 3 pm. Roberto (former tram conductor and tram activist from Melbourne; organizer of tramjatra) and other tram enthusiasts will be present. The purpose of this forum is to sustain the postive tram vibes generated by Tramjatra and take it forward. The plan is to form a pro-tram lobby that will bring together all the tram admirers (also people concerned about the tram's future) of the city and beyond - thus forming a collective public voice in favour of retaining and modernising the tram system of the city. All tram enthusiasts are welcome.” On the day Roberto was leaving the city, on a whim, I thought of doing something symbolic to give some shape to the proposed tram forum, as a sort of parting gift. I created a draft social media page calling it Calcutta Tram Users Association (basing the term on Public Transport Users Association), which Roberto mentioned in his inaugural speech. Roberto’s response was warm and enthusiastic:
“Beautifully done Anurag...you have made my day...I'm at the airport and just about to board the plane so a nice send off from Kolkata...I wish I had have made you a Administrator of the tramjatra facebook page so you can upload...please send to Souro and imagining your circulating through networks...Dhandabhad!!!!”
Three more Tramjatras followed. There was a screening of the Tramjatra documentary at Gorky Sadan, Calcutta in 2018. in 2019, on the occasion of Durga Tramjatra I had the privilege of working on some of the publicity material, especially working with Mahadeb to create a CTUA/Tramjatra card.
In 2023, Tramjatra marked the 150 years of Calcutta’s trams – with 141 years of continued operations - something the city can be proud of. It was wonderful meeting Anthony Graham (Tony) who accompanied Roberto this time. A group of international tram enthusiasts joined the celebrations, adding colour to the completion of a momentous milestone. Mention must be made of the one-of-a-kind (in India at least) tram parade comprising 7 trams spanning a century, the oldest one dating back to the 1920s. The parade showcased Calcutta’s glorious tram heritage and was a huge hit. This time around I worked with Sourosankha coordinating with the media and creating the press releases and invites. Working on the press material allowed us to form some good connections with the press and media personnel, many of whom love the trams as much as we do ! Their enthusiasm ensured we got a huge media response thereby generating a lot of positive publicity. The media contacts thus formed ensured we could have a continued dialogue about spreading awareness about Calcutta’s trams and safeguarding their survival.
This year (2025), Sundarban Tramjatra was another wonderful experience. I was finally able to meet another of the original Tramjatrans in person, Mick Douglas. Seeing Roberto and Tony again was a pleasure as always. Meeting the other crew members for the first time (Rob Eales, Neal Haslam, Phil Lethlean) was equally beautiful. The decorated tram was an exquisite work of art, becoming a cynosure of all eyes. The theme chosen this year had a sombre undertone as it highlighted the perils of climate change, albeit in a less than grim manner. Trams have an undeniable role in combating climate change as a well-functioning tramway helps in decarbonising the transport by moving people away from cars. Sundarbans, on the other hand are extremely vulnerable to climate change. Serving as first line of defence against cyclones and other destructive forces of nature, the fate of the Sunadarbans, the largest mangrove forest in the world is inextricably linked with that of Calcutta.
The Sundarban Tramjatra legacy continues and so does my involvement. On September 21, 2025, a special Sharadiya Tramjatra is taking place when a group of bright young students from the Sundarbans will join us in Kolkata as we take a tram ride to a sustainable future. A Kolkata Tramjatra and Sudhu Charcha joint venture, a Tram Journey for the Children of the Sundarban. “Together, we celebrate not just the tram, but our mother earth-pledging to guard her against the poison of greenhouse gases, and build a clean, green, climate safe future”.
It has been a privilege to have been part of Tramjatra. With warm friendships and lifelong memories, the experience has yet again emphasized that we are all part of the same planet and whatever we do affects all of us. I hope one day the world will truly live as one.
“A dream you dream alone is only a dream. A dream you dream together is reality.” ― Yoko Ono, Grapefruit: A Book of Instructions and Drawings
