Is Howrah Bridge really 75? 8 facts about Kolkata's beloved landmark
Howrah Bridge is 75. I mean the "new Howrah Bridge". If one considers the history of the famous landmark, there were, in fact, two Howrah bridges - and together they are approaching a sesquicentenary. A popular Bengali poem that Nobel laureate and social thinker Rabindranath Tagore wrote in his primer Sahajpath is all about the "old" Howrah Bridge.
1. Making of a monument
After the new bridge was commissioned, in 1945, the British did away with the old pontoon one. Records suggest that various parts of the old bridge were used while building others structures like the Kidderpore Bridge.
Incidentally, the old, pontoon bridge was inaugurated in the year 1874 on October 17, the same day the Calcutta Port was commissioned in 1870.
Before it was built, various types of small boats served as the only mode to cross the Hooghly river.
At the time, it was envisioned that the bridge, designed by Bradford Leslie, the chief engineer of railways, would connect Calcutta port with two cities - Howrah, and the then newly formed Calcutta. It was to last for 25 years, but remained in operation for nearly 74-odd years. Thus, the "purono bridge", as it is known, was eventually dismantled in 1945.
2. Onto the 'Purono bridge'
The middle portion of the pontoon bridge would detach when boats passed under it. Newspapers would carry the details of the timings related to its operations.
The port authority wanted to open the bridge up for the public during day time and planned to detach the middle part for vessels during the night. After 1906, the bridge used to open for marine traffic (excepting ocean ships) mainly at night.
The first train was flagged off from Howrah station in 1854-55, and the pontoon bridge became an important and busy site soon after its inauguration. I have heard from the elders that a few fast food vendors set up shop on the bridge soon after was built. The security adviser and heritage coordinator of the port, Gautam Chakraborty, says: "The users of the bridge were kept themselves updated about the timing of the bridge."
Although there is no proof, many citizens believe that there must have been radio announcements about the bridge timings after 1927. Interestingly, a report from 1921 shows that bullock carts formed a major part of the traffic on the bridge.
"There were lighted buoys on the river to guide the vessels. But due to high tide, the ships met with accidents."
3. The new bridge - why it remains unique
As pressure increased on the "purono bridge", the port authority felt that a new bridge was neccesary and in 1905, the then chairman wrote a letter to the provincial government. The Howrah Bridge Act for the new bridge was enacted in 1926 and work started on the structure in 1934-35. The threats of World War II were looming large, and Europe was unable to provide the staggering amounts of steel needed for the bridge's construction.
And so, for the first time in India's history, a bridge of this scale was built using indigenous steel. We are yet to find another such leading example of "Make in India". Remember that age and time! According to Chakraborty, a special type of high-tensile alloy - Tiscrom - was created only for Howrah Bridge! To Tata Iron and Steel Company's (now Tata Steel) credit, the Indian firm provided 23,000 tonnes of steel of 26,000 tonnes used to build this structure.
A global tender was called to build the bridge, and although a German company bid the lowest, it was rejected, possibly due to war. Three British giants, Braithwaite, Barn and Jessop, came together and their India-based BBJ conglomerate took charge of the bridge's fabrication.
From a suspension-type bridge to a new pontoon structure, many proposals were made for its construction. When we were children, we often faced a tricky question: how many nuts and bolts did the new bridge have? The answer was zero!
In reality, Howrah Bridge does have nuts and bolts, but just a few. At the time of its construction, it was the third longest suspension-type balanced bridge in the world after Canada's Pont De Quebec and Scotland's Forth Bridge. It is one of the busiest bridges of its kind in the world.
At least two lakh pedestrians use this bridge every day, and one lakh cars pass through it. The tram, too, was in operation through the bridge till 1993.
4. The night the tram opened
It was fascinating to learn about the tram's inauguration. A tram without any passenger inside passed through the dark bridge one night. Remember, it was 1943, in the thick of World War II - Japanese bombers were on the prowl for allied targets in the city.
5. Attacks and narrow escapes
Both the old and new bridges survived various natural calamities and human tragedies. In the run-up to the old bridge's inauguration, a devastating cyclone gripped the pontoon on March 20, 1874. The bridge was damaged but was promptly repaired. Later, a ship named Egeria hit the bridge, wrecking it. The tides were very high at that time and navigation a far cry from modern techniques. Chakraborty shares an interesting anecdote. "Even the revolutionary wing of the Anushilon Samity had made abortive attempts to destroy the bridge that served as a important connect for the Britishers."
In another instance, when the bridge was still under construction, one of its huge plinths accidentally collapsed one night. It resulted in tremors in and around Kolkata and even the seismograph recorded it.
6. Was it a target during World War II?
"In 1943, a number of bombs were dropped in Calcutta by the Japanese, but not a single one targeted the bridge! They appeared in the Calcutta sky like a group of bright falcons - and yet, overlooked it? We did not paint it black! Perhaps they had a different thought. They thought to destroy the King George's Dock, now Netaji Subhas Dock, which was the temporary base of the US force."
Even a few days back, a vessel collided with Howrah Bridge and caused some damage to the heritage structure. Yet it stands - it has done so for the last 75 years.
7. Maintenance and beautification
Gutkha, an apparently innocuous substance, once posed a huge challenge for the giant bridge's construction. A report published a few years ago shows that corrosion of the guarding pillars of the Howrah Bridge was caused by gutkha.
Evidently, people are not serious about this wonder we call Howrah Bridge. So the Kolkata port trust has stepped up its measures to save it.
Notably, the Howrah Bridge was rechristened "Rabindra Setu" in 1965.
Even bird droppings can pose a danger to the metal. "We need to look after all parts of the bridge. We have demarcated the deepest portion of the river under the bridge by a green belt, all the marine vessels follow it ," says an official.
The bridge gets a fresh coat every four-five years with 26,000 litres of lead-free paint. While it was last painted in 2014, the Howrah Bridge was illuminated in three colours in 2006 - the brainchild of the then port chairman AK Chanda. Artist Tapas Sen's son completed the work.
In 2018, the chairman of the port, Vinit Kumar has initiated the bridge's makeover with LED lighting - seeking to add more visual drama to the Kolkata night sky.
8. Ask cinema, Howrah Bridge is a cultural icon
Howrah Bridge is undoubtedly a cultural icon. Howrah Bridge starring Madhubala is classic; besides, it has featured in the films of Satyajit Ray, too.
It has also appeared in several scenes of Ritwik Ghatak's Bari Theke Paliye and Mrinal Sen's Neel Akasher Niche. It is seen in the backdrop of many a film by Raj Kapoor.
The Bengali Night by Nicolas Klotz and City of Joy by Ronald Joffe, too, have featured this monumental steel structure.
150 years on, the "Howrah Bridge" remains peerless as ever - a jewel in Kolkata's crown.