Hooghly isn’t just a river. It is a metaphor for Kolkata.
It just doesn’t mirror the city’s most beautiful hues. It teaches residents to flow free, with abandon.
To strengthen the relationship of the river with Kolkatans, Kult X hosted the inauguration of the 2024 edition of O Nodi Re: River Festival, in association with The Barge Company and Trisys on February 7.
People gathered on the legendary Bengal Paddle, set against the city’s most spectacular sunset, to witness a panel discussion on how to preserve Kolkata’s riverbank heritage.
The Bengal Paddle was hitched between the Howrah bridge and the Vidyasagar Setu, with a golden sunset for company.
On the panel were Saumitra Mohan, transport secretary; Rishika Das Roy from The Barge Company; K. Mohanchandran, senior vice-president of operations at Taj Hotels; Shubhodip Ghosh, director-general of Bengal Chamber of Commerce; and Monica Khosla Bhargava, architect and founder of Kham Consultants.
“The aim isn’t to do a festival but to rejuvenate a space through the festival. Policies and development projects require a lot of intervention from all stakeholders but a festival like this allows people to get involved in achieving long-term targets,” said Monica.
Rishika said the change will be gradual. “While researching about the impact of climate change on the Sunderbans, my takeaways were about how the river has the potential to both take away, and give back. At The Barge Company, the atmosphere is about romanticising the river, and curating an experience that brings people to the river. We have to bridge entertainment and river development with sustainability,” she said, explaining how her family had reclaimed and restored the Bengal Paddle, adding a museum to its boiler room to provide visitors a feel of its true heritage.
Heritage activist Mudar Patherya was among the event’s organisers. ‘This event helped bring the subject of Kolkata’s ghats into the city’s restoration conversation. From long being given up as challenging and unnecessary, the ghats are gradually attracting attention as a leisure heritage spot,’ he said.
Saumitra spoke about the role of the government in making the ghats more accessible. “River tourism has existed in Bengal for a long time, but recently we have seen a huge influx of activities along the river. However, while planning anything, we have to factor in the deep relationship the river shares with religion and faith. We must also remember that for thousands of years, the river has played a role in people’s daily lives, from bathing to washing clothes. Their concerns need to be addressed while making any plans,” he added. Saumitra also said that the government was working on addressing the need for designated entry and exit points, washrooms and water stations at ghats.
Mohanchandran drew from his experience in hospitality to reflect upon how the river resources could be leveraged. “The Park Street Christmas Festival is such a roaring success, but it is there for only a week. If you look around, there is so much here that could be a treat for tourists throughout the year. The biggest challenge is to be consistent. While private capital could clean the ghat once a year, it won’t work if it falls into the same disarray after a month,” he said.
Shubhodip admitted that as a south Kolkata boy, he never chanced upon the ghats during his early years. “If you go towards the Indenture Memorial Ghat, you will realise the emotive appeal it holds for the Indian labourers who have moved around the world, from Africa to the West Indies. But it’s in the port area, so it’s not accessible. If our own people can’t visit these ghats, how will we incorporate tourism? We already have the infrastructure, we now need to take it to the people,” he said.
‘Seven years ago, I went for a walk with Calcutta Walks across north Kolkata, and it was a revelation. I decided then that I wanted to help make the river relevant to the city once again. We need our ghats to be clean, accessible and safe to provide experiences that welcome citizens to the riverside,’ said Kult X founder Laily Thompson.
The River Festival 2024 comprised a host of cultural activities across Kolkata’s most prominent ghats. While Nather Bagan Ghat hosted performances by Moloy Roy and Sukrit Sen on February 10, Prinsep Ghat hosted a Santhal dance, along with Baul and Bhatiyali music on February 11.
Through its ‘Adopt a Ghat’ programme, Kult X aims to engage individuals and groups to look after a ghat through regular clean-ups, events and bringing friends. They are also encouraging corporates and businesses to repair, paint and maintain ghats.
“We’ve been trying to change how the city interacts with and experiences the river. The restoration of The Bengal Paddle, India’s only surviving paddle steamer, is a part of this vision. Kolkata is ripe for people to come together and reclaim its lost ghats,” said Rishika and Piyush Singhee of The Barge Company.