Trams on the roads of Kolkata used to be aplenty in the 1950s and a section of people, that included office-goers and students alike, preferred this pollution free and silent mode of travel. These vehicles were operated by the Calcutta Tramways Corporation or CTC and the driver and conductors were usually from Bihar.
Elderly people used to travel in these trams early in the morning and just relax on the seat as the world passed by with fresh air billowing all around. It was an unparalleled experience, especially when speeding through the outskirts of the grassy stretch of the Maidan.
Incidentally, the trams used to have two classes – the front portion was the first class and the rear portion was the II Class. Obviously, there was a fare difference and most of the passengers in the II Class used to be non-Bengalis engaged in various professions that involved manual exertions.
Of course, in my school days, I hardly ever boarded the tram but would watch from the bus as it overtook the slow-moving trams – the problem with trams was that it had to follow the set down lines and could not overtake. In case of jams, it had to wait for the jam to be cleared.
At times, the overhead contact made via a pulley mechanism would get dislodged and the tram would stop. It was then that the conductor would alight, move to the rear of the tram and, by using the attachment cable, put the pulley back in the slot so that the electrical contact was re-established. (to be continued…)
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