On an unseasonably hot and sweltering October afternoon, the Kolkata tram on Route 24/29 rolled out of Tollygunge Tram Depot, its front bedecked with the trinayani (three-eyed) face of goddess Durga. As it trundled past curious onlookers, on its way to Ballygunge, its brightly painted cars encapsulated the emotion Kolkatans revel in this season — pujo aschay (the pujas are coming).
It’s a feeling Asian Paints knows well, too. (For 35 years, the paints MNC has handed out Sharad Shamman, an award for the best Durga Puja pandal.) This year, they decided to up the ante. To celebrate the UNESCO heritage tag for Durga Puja and the 150th anniversary of the city’s tramways with art, they collaborated with St+ART India Foundation (through its XXL Collective, which works with a global network of artists) and the West Bengal Transport Corporation, to redo two cars of the tram — both inside and out.
