TRAMS

ROMANCING WITH TRAMS

ऐ दिल है मुशकिल जीना यहाँ
ज़रा हट के, ज़रा बच के
ये है बॉम्बे मेरी जाँ
कहीं बिल्डिंग, कहीं ट्रामे, कहीं मोटर, कहीं मिल
मिलता है यहाँ सब कुछ, इक मिलता नहीं दिल . . . . . .

That was  a song in film CID (1956) .  . . . .[singers: Rafi and Geeta Dutt].

Yes , कहीं बिल्डिंग कहीं ट्रामे . . .

Trams have a history going back to ancient Rome. Rome was under control of Augustus Ceaser  when in  BC 27 the first tramcar appeared . It was  built by Franciscas, a Roman citizen. It was a car for six persons  made of wood and was pulled by horses on rails made of bronze. This tram system survived for approximately 500 years.

Then came the dark ages and progress of civilization was interrupted for hundreds of years until the renaissance.

Slowly the idea of trams came back. And with the introduction of electricity trams bacame more popular.

Once upon a time there were trams in many cities of  India - in (then) Bombay, Madras, cawnpore, Patna, Nasik, Delhi and, may be, some other places too. They gragually vanished in the fifties and the sixties. Only calcutta still continues with these old trams.

Else where, in Europe Trams are very such there  but in an altogether new Avatar -  thoroughly modernised and fast.

Mumbai is now considering introducing these super fast trams to the city.