By Bishwanath Ghosh

Copyright thehindu

As many as 50 schoolchildren from the Sundarbans will begin their Durga Puja season with a special tram ride in Kolkata on Sunday (September 21, 2025).

The idea is to convey the message to the public that the tram, as public transport, was a strong weapon against global warming, something that was already harming the mangroves and would soon impact even Kolkata.

“The health of the Sundarbans and the future of its people depend on both mangrove roots and tram routes. Just as the mangroves face the threat of extinction, so does the Kolkata tram. This ceremonial journey on the auspicious occasion of Mahalaya is driven by friendship and a shared commitment to survival and sustainability,” said filmmaker Mahadeb Shi, co-founder of Tramjatra, a moving tram carnival started in 1996 jointly by tram enthusiasts from Melbourne and Kolkata, which is organising the event.

The children are from Bijoynagar Adarsha Vidyamandir in Gosaba, who will share their stories during the tram journey. The ride, starting at 10.30 a.m., will begin and end at the Gariahat depot after a ride through Esplanade and Shyam Bazar. Attendees are likely to include filmmaker Goutam Ghosh and ‘mangrove man’ Umashankar Mondal.

This is the second event that Tramjatra is conducting this year, in spite of the tram now almost disappearing from Kolkata’s ecosystem. The one conducted in March, called Sundarban Tramjatra, was also related to creating awareness about saving the mangroves. This one is called Sharadiya Tramjatra, or autumn tram ride.

“Back then, when our friends from Melbourne visited Kolkata for two weeks, many asked whether the tram would one day travel to the Sundarbans. Today when the tram tracks are almost erased from Kolkata, the idea of a tram journey into the mangroves remains a utopia. So, we chose to bring the children of Sundarbans to Kolkata on a voyage of shared purpose,” Mr. Shi said.

He added, “For this purpose, we have hired a double-bogie tram, no. 256, which was decorated and used during the Sundarban Tramjatra in March. We are thankful to the collaboration with our Melbourne friends and Sundarbans residents. Together, we celebrate not just the tram but Mother Earth, pledging to guard her against greenhouse gases, and to build our dream of a clean, green, climate-safe future. This will be a very special journey of heritage and hope.”

The Kolkata tram, more than 150 years old, is almost extinct, with the West Bengal government not hiding its dislike for this environment-friendly mode of transport, considering it an obstruction to traffic, and therefore taking no measure to keep it alive. Only two routes, Esplanade-Gariahat and Esplanade-Shyam Bazar survive today, and the future of the iconic tram now depends entirely on the court.

“These children have never seen or travelled in the tram. They probably don’t even know what the tram is. They may have at the most seen pictures. We hope to create awareness among them about the benefits of a system like the tram, and that they go back home and tell their people how electric vehicles are good for the environment,” said Indranil Banerjee, an electrical engineer with Indian Railways who also belongs to the Calcutta Tram Users’ Association, whose members will also be a part of Sunday’s (September 21, 2025) event.