Yellow Taxi :A trip down memory lane Part 1

Introduction

Love it, hate it, but you cannot ignore it. That’s yellow taxi for you, my friends. These are old to very old ambassador cars, which have been plying Kolkata roads since 1958(The Indian Express). It is one the cities in which taxis are yellow. Their numbers are decreasing gradually due to its replacement by modern day app cabs. Still, they make their presence felt. Based on my personal experience, I somehow find the suspension of ambassador extremely comfortable. This may be due to its heavy weight and momentum.

Yellow Taxi
Yellow taxi: Pic clicked by @Ginia from our car.
Yellow Taxi: the backbone of Kolkata roads


There are some disadvantages of the yellow taxi such as- no scope of air-conditioning, doubtful cleanliness of seat linen, rough driving/driver etc. Some drivers can be a pain while driving, sudden converging towards your vehicle, getting too much closer in a traffic signal etc. is a typical yellow taxi trait in Kolkata roads. But in this post, I will be mostly talking about its charm, its iconic status and a memorable personal experience.

The Photogenic Chariot

Yellow taxi is extremely photogenic and has a strong presence on road because of its colour, size and shape. The yellow taxi or ‘holud taxi’ as it is colloquially called is an integral part of Kolkata’s road transport system. Many songs and paintings composed in this state are based on the yellow marvel. It has almost reached a heritage status. Among many other things, yellow taxi is synonymous to Kolkata.

The Dream

I have a recurring dream too for a decade now of riding in a yellow taxi with the love of my life (now a reality) holding each other’s hands below a green canopy, mild breeze under azure blue sky on a dry sunny day with a Bengali song playing in the background.

Garden Taxi

In another instance, I had come across a yellow taxi in my neighbourhood whose roof was a mini garden. I was so happy to see the love for plants. The garden was tastefully designed and was well maintained. That particular taxi is quite popular in Kolkata and is frequently seen as photographs shared in social media with basic details about its owner and address. The caption (message) behind his taxi was quite inspiring.

Unique rooftop garden in a yellow taxi Please note the caption written in bengali. Those who can understand bengali would love the way its written which translates to, “There is no place for planting trees is a lie.. If you wish sincerely, plant it anywhere, place does not matter”

A short story

It was my second visit to West Bengal. I had qualified GATE and went to take admission in IIT Kharagpur or Indian School of Mines, Dhanbad for my M-Tech course. I kept two extra days for that trip for any unforeseen delay in admission procedure. chose and took admission in IIT Kharagpur. All the procedures were completed one day ahead leaving me with 3 extra days to spare. So, I decided to do some sightseeing in Kolkata. I put up in Rail yatri nivas at Howrah Station. After two days of doing touristy stuff in the sweltering Kolkata heat in the month of June, I decided to pre-pone my return journey by one day.
I booked a return flight. I cancelled my confirmed train ticket and early morning the next day I got up at 7 AM only to find a dark, thick cloud cover enveloping the Kolkata sky.

To be continued …….

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29 Comments

    • Thanks Yogita. The part 2 i have uploaded. Earlier, it was a single post. But since, it got lengthy, it was subdivided into two. Hope u enjoy the part-2

  1. I have travelled in the yellow taxi and it was a not so good ride however, I agree yellow taxis are synonymous with Kolkata. I really liked the message on the taxi with plants, it powerful. Look forward to your next post.

    • Thanks… Yeah kaali-peelis for mumbai. They are fiats i guess!! Or do they have ambassadors?

  2. Yellow taxis can be considered the lifeline of Kolkata. Your post made me nostalgic and I would love to the city soon.

    • Agree. Although, in my brief bombay visit local train and people travelling in them had more impact over me. My friend almost died in Dadar station while jumping from moving local. 😱

  3. I have seen so many yellow taxi photographs on Instagram from influencers! I have always been in awe. Thank you for sharing your experience.

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