Kolkata: Lying unused for the past few months, ten trams in the city have been renovated into mini-auditoriums for films, theater and music.
As part of a 'Tram Tales' initiative, the unique two-day event which ended today, various media like films, videos, music, art, photography, games, food and even 'adda', were used to celebrate the nostalgia of trams as a symbol of Kolkata's rich colonial-era heritage. At the Gariahat tram depot 10 non-working streetcars have been renovated making it a one of its kind common platform within the city where youths, painters, rock bands, singers, artists and others can be a part of it.
A couple of the trams were fitted with small projection screens and turned into mini cinema halls, said Anirban Kundu, Marketing Head-East of Max Fashion, who are partnering in the event. Trams were also turned into stage of theatre groups who performed inside the streetcar. Bands like 'Ganesh Talkies', 'Underground Authority', 'Neel Sarkar Project' and other youth bands were also invited to perform inside the trams.
One of the trams was turned into a small cafe partnering with a local coffee shop for people to have their own 'adda' sessions. A tram was also painted by painters of the city. A quintessential part of colonial-era Kolkata, trams have also been part of thriller films like 'Detective Byomkesh Bakshy!' and Vidya Balan's 'Kahaani'.
