ST Vishwa Rath: MSRTC Bus Museum A Big Hit Among Visitors
ST Vishwa Rath is an extraordinary mobile exhibition, offering a captivating journey through 75 years of MSRTC and the century-long evolution of public transport in Maharashtra, tracing its roots back to 1920.
In a tribute to the rich history of Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation (MSRTC) buses, a unique MSRTC bus museum named ‘ST Vishwa Rath’ has emerged as a captivating attraction at the Swargate bus stand in Pune.
From vintage MSRTC bus models of the 1920s to cutting-edge electric buses, visitors flocked to Swargate to witness the 75-year journey of state transport buses of Maharashtra.
What is the ST Vishwa Rath?
The ST Vishwa Rath is a mobile MSRTC bus museum built to showcase the rich legacy of MSRTC buses. This innovative project is the brainchild of a group of passionate MSRTC enthusiasts – Bus For Us Foundation, who conceptualized the ST Viswa Rath in 2016.
In its first avatar, the MSRTC bus museum was built on an ordinary state transport bus. The modern incarnation, built on an MSRTC Shivneri Volvo bus, was done in collaboration with Transguru Services.
This ST Bishwa Rath was built at MSRTC’s Dapodi central workshop, a pioneering bus body building facility in Asia.
How A Group Of Bus Fans Started a Mobile MSRTC Bus Museum
The genesis of this mobile MSRTC museum lies in the ardent love for MSRTC buses shared by the members of the Bus For Us Foundation.
Motivated by a shared passion for preserving the legacy of Maharashtra’s iconic state transport buses, the group collaborated with Transguru Service to transform this vision into reality. The result, the ST Vishwa Rath – the mobile MSRTC bus museum, is a testament to their dedication.
“As a long-time admirer of how Indian Railways has preserved its heritage, we were inspired to bring a similar initiative to the Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation (MSRTC). MSRTC, as one of India’s oldest State Transport Undertakings, has a profound history that has shaped our state’s public transport landscape,” says Aditya Rane, Bus For Us Foundation.
Chronicles in Time: The Curated Collection at the Museum
The museum meticulously chronicles the transition of ST buses through a curated collection of photographs and insightful historical facts.
It is divided into five distinct eras, from 1920 to 2023, each encapsulating the unique evolution of buses and the agencies governing them.
While MSRTC has provided funding for this visionary project, the conceptualization and extensive research behind it are credited to the innovative minds at Transguru Service.
As visitors explore the exhibition, they encounter a vivid array of memories encased in glass, including vintage tickets, scale models of ST buses, and emblematic logos from transport manufacturing companies.
Notably, a dedicated section pays homage to Laxman Shankar Kewate, a pioneering figure in the history of Independent India, who served as the first conductor on the Pune-Ahmednagar route from 1948 to 1984.
A Journey Across Maharashtra: Taking History to the Masses
Over the next year and a half, this touring museum is set to journey across 300 bus depots in Maharashtra, ensuring that the legacy of state transport buses is accessible to people across the state.
Rohit Dhende, the coordinator of Transguru Service, highlights the diverse roles played by MSRTC buses in critical situations throughout history.
These buses have served as crucial modes of transportation for military personnel during wartime, ferried athletes to the Asian Games, and acted as vital ambulances in the aftermath of disaster relief operations.
While MSRTC has provided funding for this visionary project, the conceptualization and extensive research behind it are credited to the innovative minds at Transguru Service.
The MSRTC bus museum started by Bus For Us Foundation stands as a testament to the power of passionate enthusiasts in preserving the cultural heritage embedded within the wheels of Maharashtra’s iconic state transport buses.
This mobile museum not only showcases the evolution of buses but also pays tribute to the countless individuals who contributed to this remarkable journey.
As visitors from all walks of life flock to witness this living history, it is evident that the Bus For Us Foundation’s efforts have struck a chord with the public, solidifying their place in the annals of Maharashtra’s cultural legacy.
