Tiger-themed yellow taxi was flagged off at Victoria Memorial in Kolkata on Friday 2023-07-28 to mark International Tiger Day which was on Saturday 2023-07-29. The taxi was on display at Victoria Memorial till Saturday 2023-07-29 before getting back to the city streets to ferry people.
Like the Royal Bengal Tiger, Kolkata’s iconic yellow Ambassador taxis (and Ambassador cars in general) are also becoming endangered. As a result, a day before the International Tiger Day, a tiger-themed yellow Taxi was flagged off at Victoria Memorial. Also, a panel discussion titled “Tiger Conservation - The Road Ahead” was organised.
Dinanath Shaw, the driver and the owner of the yellow taxi, said he has been driving in the city for the past 12 years. Before that, he was in the school canteen business with his father. After the schools went into the contractual mode of business, they failed to compete with the big names and he became a cabbie.
Also interested in wildlife, Shaw was delighted when the organisers approached him to paint his taxi to create awareness for Big Cats. This is a tiger-striped vinyl sticker. The taxi will be on public display at Victoria Memorial till Saturday and after that, Shaw will again embark on his routine trips around the city ferrying people, according to Korak Basu, an organiser. According to Basu, the tiger, Victoria Memorial, and the yellow taxi together would serve as a powerful representation of the city’s rich heritage, cultural diversity and commitment to preserving the region’s wilderness and natural wonders.
Photos courtesy: Ashim Paul.
Text courtesy: The Telegraph.
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