In 2025 the tramjatra team presented a four day Sundarban Tramjatra Festival of Learning about the inter-connected and extremely vulnerable climate change hotspots of Kolkata and the Sundarban. Kolkata is tasked with reducing its carbon footprint, whilst the hugely carbon-absorbing Sundarban mangrove forests are need to be preserved and expanded in order to buffer the cyclones and tidal surge weather events that travel up the Bay of Bengal through the Sundarban to Kolkata.

Festival Artistic Director Mahadeb Shi, a well known Kolkata filmmaker, says that “Sundarban mangrove roots and Kolkata tram routes are connected. The health of the region and the future of its people are dependant on both mangrove roots and tram routes functioning, being valued, and being invested in for the benefit of future generations.” Former Melbourne tram conductor, environmental educator and Festival co-curator Roberto D’Andea, whose passion has had him visit Kolkata many times, reckons that "Kolkata’s tramways are in the last stages of forced extinction under current short-sighted policy. This approach is against progressive citizen-focused global trends of multi-modal integrated sustainable urban transport policy. Is this what concerned citizens of Kolkata want?" Festival co-curator Mick Douglas, an artist and Professor from RMIT University Melbourne, reflects on how “The tramjatra team are crafting opportunities for new generations of environmental advocates and artists. Sundarban Tramjatra aims to inspire learning between generations and diverse peoples, to create just and dignified transitions that embrace the challenges of building climate security."

With a series of tickets in hand that inspire conversational learning, the tramjatra team can be seen in the artwork Sundari Lung shirt uniform that reminds us of the connection between the carbon which mangroves are critical to absorbing from the atmosphere, and the clean oxygen that humans need to breathe, generating social movement through the medium of tramways.

We invite you to join in celebration and soul-searching with the largest mangrove system on earth and its neighbouring megacity..

tramjatra has gained momentum over three decades through decorated trams on the streets promoting biodiversity and sustainability in both cities, tram conductors warming the curious human spirit, public forums, artworks and performances, numerous films (Kather Baxo, Tramjatra 2017), a book, patua songs, a daily newspaper column, a change of Kolkata tram conductors uniforms for a day … much media discussion and more. A creative, public conversational approach has evolved tramjatra into an open civic platform for the exchange of knowledge, ideas and experiences that inspire communities into informed proactive social movements.

SUNDARBAN TRAMJATRA FESTIVAL 2025

STJ Festival Concept & Maitri Funding Applicant: Roberto D'Andrea / The Connies

Festival Artistic Director: Mahadeb Shi

Festival Curation: Roberto D’Andrea, Mick Douglas, Mahadeb Shi

Citizens Assembly '25 Curation: Mick Douglas, Mahadeb Shi, Jayanta Basu

Festival '25 Tram Conductors: Roberto D’Andrea, Deep Das, Anthony Graham, Sajal Mondal

Festival Tram Art: Sumantra Mukherjee & team, with interior panels by Sarna Chitrakar

Festival Hub: Mahadeb Shi (programming), Mick Douglas (concept), Philip Lethlean (lighting)

Festival Hub Installation Art: Sumantra Mukherjee & team

Festival Hub Discussion Host: Ashoke Viswanathan

Festival Hub Workshops: Rob Eales, Sangeeth Sankar, Neal Haslem, ThoughtShop Foundation

‘Sundari Lung’ shirt artwork: Mick Douglas & Neal Haslem

Musical Theatre: Rejesh Shinde

Sound Art: Pratyay Raha

Tickets - Climate Tigers, Biodiversity & Trams series: Roberto D'Andrea (concept & text), Andy Miller (artwork)

Tickets - Sundarban series: Sarna Chitrakar (artwork), Mahadeb Shi (text), Mick Douglas (concept), Neal Haslem (comm. design)

Sound Technician: Niloy Panchal

Communication Design: Neal Haslem

Website IT: Rob Eales

Website Direction: Mick Douglas, Neal Haslem & Rob Eales

Podcasts: Mick Douglas & Pratyay Raha

Film Documentation: Mahadeb Shi & SHAAN

Press and Media Coordination: Anurag Mitra, Souroshankar Majhi

Social media: Anurag Mitra, Souroshankar Majhi

Citizens Assembly Foyer Installation: Mick Douglas, Neal Haslem, Rob Eales, Sangeeth Sankar

Citizens Assembly Host: Jayanta Basu

Translator: Asita Sen

Project Administration: Anthony Graham

Production Assistant Kolkata: Sambhu Munshi

Sundarban Hosts: Premaya Foundation, Above & Beyond

Finance admin support: Auspicious Arts Projects Inc.

Production Execution: Crandasi Productions

Volunteers: Thank you Deep Das, Anurag Mitra, Souroshankha Maji, Tanmoy Ganguly, Sagnik Gupta, Shourya Basu, Sohini Chakraborty, Arkopal Sarkar, Sourav Dutta, Arghadeep Deb, Indraneel Chatterjee, Aranya Saarang Shinde, Akshat Agarwal, Harsh Sharma & Aviroop Shi for your significant contributions to the Festival. The STJ team also appreciated the enthusiastic participation in Festival events by Rajak Prakash, Prosenjit Basak, Abhinabha Mukherjee & Aniket Ganguly.