Poribrajak --- It means - The Traveller. A moderanised fibre-body tramcar was specially designed by CTC to commemorate 150th birth anniversary of India's visionary monk, Swami Vivekananda, who addressed the Parliament of World’s Religions in Chicago in September 1893, passionately calling for both tolerance and universal acceptance as a path to eliminate the evils of sectarianism, bigotry and fanaticism and engage all the world’s religious and spiritual community leaders in efforts to forge a new global civil society. This passenger tram was inaugurated on 2nd of February 2013 along with an exhibition tramcar # 449 'Vivek Tirtha' as a part of year long celebration of this auspicous occassion.
From a simple, unassuming monk in Calcutta who had reached the culmination of spiritual experience in the 1890s to the propounder of Hinduism and Vedanta on the global stage at the Parliament of Religions in Chicago in 1893, as well as the inspirer of thousands in different parts of the globe subsequently, Vivekananda is a household name today. His spiritual brilliance, absolute purity, vast learning, love for humanity, sympathy for the suffering and a hundred other noble qualities have made him a universal symbol of spiritual unfoldment of the human race and an inspiration not only for the youth, but for everyone—from the erstwhile leaders of India to world thinkers, from the unlettered peasant to the learned pundit, from little children to the advancing in age. Vivekananda brought respect for his country and for Sanatana Dharma, instilled faith in the hearts of Indians, and has already established her on the pedestal of the world teacher as of old. He, however, did not come for any country in particular: he came for the whole world and thus gave to the world the wonderful knowledge of Vedanta, and of the four yogas.
Apart from rousing the sleeping and suffering India, he travelled extensively and awakened the enlightened people of advanced nations to lead a spiritual life so as to attain inner peace, established the Ramakrishna Math and the Ramakrishna Mission, founded journals, established monasteries, wrote books, inspiring letters and articles, gave classes and discourses, gave interviews, trained young men, and did a thousand other things for the good of humanity.
Spotted at the picturesque street of decades old Dalhousie Square (now BBD Bag) - the heritage zone of Calcutta while it was serving on Rajabazar-BBD Bag Route # 14. Photographed by Roy on 7th April 2013.