Thank you sir for responding to my posting and good words which encourage me
to make new postingsGopalakrishnan
On Wednesday, 27 September, 2023 at 07:01:19 pm IST, Laxminarayan Sarma
<[email protected]> wrote:
Great write-up Gopalakrishnan-ji
You are an accomplished wordsmith. Every write-up of yours is so fascinating,
deep, insightful and a pleasure to read.
Unlike the loads of assinine filth , an elephantine disrrhea of simian
gibnerish.
Keep it up, brother.
On Wed, 27 Sep, 2023, 6:50 pm 'gopala krishnan' via iyer123,
<[email protected]> wrote:
DOUBLE DECKER BUSES
Dearfriends,
I am native of Kerala. In my boyhood days visit to the capital city
Trivandrumwas not complete without travelling in the double decker bus.
Otherswere visiting airport and sankhumugam beach.
Sowhen I made my first visit to Trivandrum for writing an entrance examination,
in1963, I stayed in a lodge at Palayam opposite to the Kerala University.
Ilooked at the University with a proud feeling, who is going to award me with
degree in an year. I went to East fort and tooktravel in the upper deck of a
double decker bus from East fort to Sasthamangalamand return.
In Trivandrum, though the old double deckersare condemned, new ones have
introduced in different routes. Earlier routeswere East fort- Kesavadasapuram
and East for –Sasthamangalam. The old Buseswere plying even during 2004.
InTrivandrum these buses have only one conductor, one has to go upper deck
aftertaking ticket. Standing wasgenerally not allowed in the upper deck. To get
down in the bus stop, wehave to stand visible to conductor in the steps. The
travel enjoyed in theupper deck for the first time cannot beexpressed in words.
Evenin 2007, there were double decker and trailer buses in Chennai. They are
allphased out now.
Ifound a photo of a double decker bus in Angamali for kalati in Kerala, in
ruraltown while searching for double decker buses.
InBangalore too double decker buses are there, but rare now. In Chennai
andBangalore these buses have two conductors and driver started the bus from
stopsafter listening whistles from both conductors.
Ihave travelled in double decker bus from Sion to the beach temple in
Mumbai.Today I came across a news item; double deckers are phased out from
Mumbai,with some added information about these buses. I found the reading
interestingand thought of sharing it with my friends
R.Gopalakrishnan Dated 27-9-23
Included the As Mumbai Bids Them Farewell,Trace The Iconic History Of Its
Double-Decker Buses
Thesered giants on wheels have long been synonymous with South Mumbai, serving
as cultural landmarks thathave witnessed countless conversations, dramas, and
the evolving city and itspeople.
VaaswatSarkar Published on : 25 Sep 2023, 7:52 pm 3 min read
OnSeptember 15, 2023, Mumbai bid farewell to the last remaining
diesel-rundouble-decker bus of the Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transport
(BEST)enterprise, evoking a wave of nostalgia among the city's residents.
Thesered giants on wheels have long been synonymous with South Mumbai, serving
ascultural landmarks that have witnessed countless conversations, dramas, and
theevolving city and its people. Through personal memories, Bollywood
songs,artwork, and symbols, the red double-decker buses have become an integral
partof Mumbai's collective cultural consciousness.
Conductors gathered on September 15, 2023to bid farewell(photo)
Hello, Mumbai Police? I'd like toreport the theft of one of my most important
childhood memories.
AnandMahindra, industrialist on X (formerly Twitter), captioning the collective
loss
Thesered giants on wheels have long been synonymous with South Mumbai, serving
ascultural landmarks that have witnessed countless conversations, dramas, and
theevolving city and its people.
Theorigins of double-decker buses in India have sparkedsome debate.
Some claim that Raja Chithira ThirunalBalarama Varma, the ruler of
Trivandrum(now Thiruvananthapuram), hired Englishman EG Salter to revamp their
publictransport, leading to the introduction of double-decker buses.
However, many agree that these buses werefirst introduced in the Bombay
Presidency in 1937, inspired by the iconic double-decker Londonbuses.
Bythe 1960s, around 900 double-decker buses weretraversing the streets of
Bombay, covering popular routes like the iconic 123,which passed through Colaba
Causeway, Regal Cinema, Flora Fountain, MarineDrive, and Girgaun Chowpatty.
These routes carved a path through historically and culturallysignificant areas
of South Mumbai, making the red, two-storeyedtransport capsules an inseparable
part of the city's heritage. Not only did the red double-deckersoffer
passengers a picturesque vantage point, but they also bridged the lastmile of
connectivity in the suburbs until the arrival of auto-rickshaws in the1970s.
However,their numbers dwindled after the mid-'90s due to rising operational
costs,logistical challenges, and fuel inefficiency.
Adiesel-run double-decker bus amidst a row of auto-rickswas in the streets
ofMumbai
Adiesel-run double-decker bus amidst a row of auto-rickswas in the streets
ofMumbaiAtharva Tulsi/Getty Images
Lastweek marked the end of an era for Mumbai's iconic red double-decker buses,
butit also ushered in a new era of eco-friendly and technologically
advancedpublic transportation for the city's future.
The newly introduced buses, known as Switch EiV22, are battery-rune-buses,
providing an environmentally friendly alternative. These buses have a capacity
to accommodate approximately ninetypassengers, roughly double the capacity of
the previous buses. The cityplans to acquire nine hundred such buses.
Additionally, BEST has announced theacquisition of two open-deck buses for
sightseeing, reminiscent of the vehicleswe are bidding farewell to.
Time can sometimes be a cruel mistress thatcan make even a red Goliath
disappear from the streets of Mumbai. While there is no shadow of a doubt,
thatimplementing the Switch EiV22 as a success is a judicious choice, for
several Mumbaikars the iconicpredecessor will continue to hold rich nostalgic
value.
MaheshKambale, a 42-year-old resident of Vikhroli, in a statement to the Free
PressJournal, expressed nostalgia for the old buses and how the feeling of
baskingin the breeze from its open windows won't be the same with thenew
double-decker e-buses that are air-conditioned.
Thesered giants on wheels have long been synonymous with South Mumbai, serving
ascultural landmarks that have witnessed countless conversations, dramas, and
theevolving city and its people.
Whilebidding adieu to these iconic double-decker buses evokes a sense of
collectiveloss, its unique charm and identity will not slip into oblivion. BEST
has chosen to preserve one of these iconic buses, ensuring that apiece of
Mumbai's history lives on.
This preserved bus will findits new home in the museum at the Anik bus depot,
serving as a living testamentto the bygone days when these red giants were a
familiar sight for Mumbai'sresidents and visitors alike.
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