AC Tramcar for children in Kolkata: a library on wheels and free rides  

This Childrens Day was special for Kolkata, as the city experimented with its first children’s tram library –allowing children to pick and read their favourite book while moving at a slow pace through the city.

An initiative by West Bengal Transport Corporation and Apeejay Anand Children's Library team, the library on wheels, decorated with artworks of children reading, hand painted by local artists, trundled out last Saturday on its maiden journey, launched virtually by Rajanvir Singh Kapur, MD, WBTC and Priti Paul, Director, ApeejaySurrendra Group.

Oxford Bookstorescurated the selection of titles and literature for the Kolkata Young Reader's Tram Car. Yearlong activities for children on board the tramcar, such as story-telling, dramatised readings, poetry sessions, book launches, music and more are also on the cards.

The tram would run on Shyambazar-Esplanade and Esplanade-Gariahat routes spanning North to South of Kolkata and there would be no ticket for children and girls below the age of 18. People above the age of 18 are allowed to board after paying the normal AC tram fares.

"We believe that a library is essential to every child's holistic development, and that knowledge and books are game changers enhancing the future of each child. Reading and learning on the move will undoubtedly augment their recreational environment, and we are committed to facilitate this."

The Kolkata tramways have been operating since 1873 when the maiden tram took off with horses. In 1880, the Calcutta Tramway Company was formed in London which is now called the WBTC that runs the only existing tramways in India.

(IANS)