The tram rides of a different era
Vengrai ParthasarathyLast
2011 11:11:28 PM IST
Those were the days which only Chennaites in their seventies will remember. In the Thirties and Forties the rumblings of trams were heard in all the main arteries of Madras. Those were leisurely days when no one was in a hurry. People used to have a ‘brunch’ (breakfast was not very common except for those who worked in factories) walk up to tram terminus, pay an anna and relax in a half-empty tram on wooden seats along the length of the vehicle. And, the tram rumbled along, covering four or five miles in an hour.
There is a good deal of history attached to trams. V O Chidambaram Pillai, renowned freedom fighter who launched the first Indian Steam Navigation company had scheduled a meeting with Gandhiji. He was used to travelling by the trams and in fact said to have told Gandhiji that his meeting with the Father of the Nation had to be adjusted to the tram timings.
The historic tramways used to provide service to those residing in Egmore, Mylapore, Triplicane, Purasawalkam and Royapuram. The tram was a sort of meeting place as well. One could meet students, office-goers, small businessmen, commuters, lawyers and vegetable vendors with baskets — all in the trams. It was not for time-pressed executives on the go. The clangor of trams’ grating wheels was a noise to which people had got used to. The pace of the trams would seem improbable to the new generation. It was sometimes easy to board or alight the trams because of the pace it was moving in. Lengthy halts at all sorts of places were never explained and no one complained.
The trams naturally had no steering wheels because they moved on the tracks. The conductors with their cross-belt handbags were weather-beaten men who could be nice or gruff depending on the occasion and their mood. They would shout the names of some of the important stops like ‘Central’ and ‘Pookkadai’ (Flower Bazaar). “If you are not pushed for time” was the ethic which decided whether one should take the trams. Overhead electric lines for the trams was a familiar sight and so were the tram tracks on the roads which were a hazard for the cyclists.
It was in April 1953 that Rajaji, in his second stint as chief minister of Tamil Nadu, passed orders for the closure of the tram services. The immediate reason for this decision was the continuing strike by the workers. Moreover, the ageing trams were in need of re-hauling and even replacing. With that closure died a piece of history. In retrospect it was a pragmatic decision given the way the city has swelled and traffic has grown.
The Chennai MRTS, also known as the ‘Flying Train,’ is an elevated railway. It is somewhat similar to the suburban train but operates at an elevated plane. It lacks the old world charm and quaintness of the trams of yore (Born :1895; Retired :1953). As we move with the times we have to leave behind memories of the chugging, meandering juggernauts of yore.