The 80-year-old paddle ship Bhopal, renamed The Bengal Paddle after renovation, embarked on a new journey on Panchami, September 30.
The vessel underwent a massive overhaul in a joint initiative by the Kolkata Port Trust and Eastern Navigation Pvt Ltd. For the first time in 50 years, the paddle ship will be rented out for commercial purposes such as meetings, weddings and festivals. It will be managed by The Barge Company.
“Bhopal was built as a towing ship and was one of the last paddle ships to have arrived in India. Bhopal was also used as a training ship. It was 62.5 metres long and 9.2 metres wide and, after renovation, it is now almost 11 metres wide. It is ideal for the shallow waters of riverine Bengal. I express my gratitude to Vinit Kumar, KoPT chairman, for the huge job,” said Goutam Chakraborty, former security adviser and present honorary heritage adviser, KoPT, at the inaugural event.
“I don’t understand heritage. But I work on my hunches. So, when several specialists asked me to work on the ship’s renovation, I decided to go ahead with the project,” said KoPT chairman Vinit Kumar.
On Friday, the renovated ship was anchored at the historic Man-o War Jetty and from there it went on a tour on the Hooghly. Pulled by modern diesel engines, the boat boasts of its erstwhile legacy and flaunts the original steam engines and other machinery, which have been restored to add to the heritage values.
My Kolkata took a tour of the paddle ship.
The decks
Photograph: Arijit Sen
The boat originally had two decks but, after the renovation, an additional top deck was added. With all the decks, there is more than 10,000 sq ft area, which can accommodate around 500 people comfortably.
The museum
Photograph: Arijit Sen
This was originally the boiler room when PS Bhopal used to run on a steam engine. The entire space has been transformed into a two-room museum. One room has been dedicated to artefacts like machinery and instruments used for riverine navigation. The second room showcases traditional tools of marine navigation.
The engine room
Photograph: Arijit Sen
The old steam engine has been renovated and turned into a diesel engine.
The paddles
Photograph: Arijit Sen
After the engine modification, modern propellers are used. However, the original 18-ft diameter paddles on both sides have been kept for their heritage value. Both the paddles are in running condition but do not propel the boat anymore.
The kitchen & the washrooms
Photograph: Arijit Sen
The boilers were so big that they would protrude into the first deck from the engine room. When the boilers were removed, there was ample space to build a state-of-the-art kitchen and a series of washrooms.
Conference room
A fully air-conditioned 2,000 sq ft room has been built on the new top deck of the boat. This place will be used for meetings and indoor activities.
