From: bhattach@quip.eecs.umich.edu (sayan bhattacharyya)
Subject: Re: Calcutta diary : demise of trams ?
Organization: University of Michigan EECS Dept., Ann Arbor, MI
Date: Fri, 8 Jan 1993 16:55:02 GMT

In article <199301080743.AA01046@mp.cs.niu.edu> t60bss9@mp.cs.niu.edu (Bijoy Sagar) writes:
>
>
>	I heard recently that trams have been banned in Calcutta after
>decades of procrastination. I wonder if it is true! I have always felt
>that trams have strongly impeded with the transport planning and development
>of the great city. However, now that they are gone, I feel sad.
>

This is an extremely sad news indeed.

Lovers of Bengali poetry will doubtless remember that trams are 
linked in a very fundamental way to the development of modern 
Bengali poetry. (No, I am not referring to the death of Jibanananda
Das in a tram accident near Deshapriya Park).

Samar Sen recounts in his autobiography "Baboo Brittanto" that it
was the fascinating rhythm and music of the late night trams that
inspired him to create the characteristic rhythm of Bengali free 
verse (gadya-kobita) that countless imitators later adopted from 
Sen. At that time, Samar Sen was working as a journalist in the
Calcutta Statesman and he used to take late night tram rides 
everyday from Statesman House in central Calcutta to his home in
South Calcutta. (I believe at that time he lived in the Lake Market
area, close to the house of another great poet, Bishnu De). Actually,
if you listen for it, you really get the feeling that the sound        
which the tram makes is very poetic. There is nothing wishy-washy    
about it, however, it is a strong urban rhythm .


Off the top of my head, I can remember at least two fragments of
verse that are about trams - both by the poet Buddhadeba Bose.
Maybe trams occur so frequently in Buddhadeba Bose's poetry is
because he lived for a long time in a house at the crossing of
Hindustan Road and Rashbehari Avenue (right opposite to Deshapran
Mistanna Bhandar of today) and in full view of the regal tram
line that stretched away into the distance in majestic grandeur,
a royal strip of green splitting Rash Behari Avenue :

        tram-er line-ey ghash, ballygunge-ey|
        kolponar phool phote' moner malonchey |

       (grass on the tram tracks in ballygunge ;   
        flowers bloom in the heart's garden. )

and

       ek muhurto | ei tobe tar baancha ?
       chowrangheetey, preyoshi kolkatay ?
       ek muhurto | ei tobey tar mrityu ?
       tramer tarer joley nibhe' jaoya phholki ?

       (a brief moment; is this his life?
        in chowringhee, in beloved Calcutta?
        a brief monemt; is this his death?
        a transient spark on the tramline's overhead wire?)

I will be happy if netters post further remembrances about the
Calcutta tramways. 


>	I never travelled by trams while was in Calcutta and once or
>twice when I did out of curiosity, I felt terrible because the mere
>existence of these motor snakes from a period now long-gone into
>oblivion made the lives of every motorist hell. Yet, trams were undeniably
>a part of Calcutta... like Nondon, Victoria memorial and the Lakes (though
>the other three have certain obvious functions to perform in assisting
>certain self-confessed ma**baaz types here:-)
>
>	Boy! that reminds me of evenings on the victoria memorial lawns
>looking at the colorful clothes that passed by your nose... and it is rumoured
>( not that I will ever know:)) that the same lawns transferred themselves
>into a randezvous for hungry souls who could not afford any private places.
>
>	Calcutta is so complete in the sense that life is presented
>in the city as it is, without comment, reaction, frills.... pure zen!
>Even the violence and slogans and traffic jam are all part of a whole that
>is so spontaneous and unconcerned. Bombay is ashamed of its slums and
>proud of Ambaniesque characters, and Delhi is probably ashamed and 
>proud of ram Vilas Paswan types. calcutta just IS. That is why we love
>it. who had said, " it is impossible to like calcutta, no one likes 
>Calcutta, you either love it or hate it". I guess I do both. 
>
>	The poem that posted a week back ( Calcutta by Sunilda) perfectly
>echoes this feeling. The love and hatred....
>
>	How do you feel?
>
>Bijoy Sagar
>******************************************************************
>| BIJOY SAGAR,               *|* ALL DISCLAIMERS APPLY.          |
>| Dept. of Geology, Northern Illinois University, Dekalb, IL60115|
>| Internet : t60bss9@mp.cs.niu.edu OR bijoy@geol.niu.edu         |
>^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^                                                                                                 
>
>
>


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