Striving for relevance: Kolkata trams get a drive in a slowing world

Despite the campaigns, trams have been disappearing from the streets of Kolkata. From 37 routes covering 70 km in the 1960s, only six routes covering about 20 km are operational now

Ananda Bhowmick is a lover of all things quaint and Kolkata. The 24-year-old development professional has been lamenting the decline of trams, which he used to hop on and off between Ballygunge and Tollygunge as a child growing up in south Kolkata.

This April, he came across a group that was dedicated to the trams in the city. “I came across the Calcutta Trams Users' Association (CTUA) on Facebook and joined immediately. In September, when the group announced an event to campaign for reviving and preserving trams, I decided to chip in,” says Bhowmick, adding that he now takes as many