The days of the Raj might be over, but the romance lingers on. Nowhere is this more evident than along the banks of the Ganga (Hooghly) between Kolkata and Tribeni. This 60km stretch, which saw the growth of the colonial settlements of five nationalities (Portuguese, Dutch, Danish, French and British), is packed with architectural treasures, some well preserved, others falling to ruin. The settlements - Bandel, Bankibazar, Hooghly, Chinsurah, Chandernagore, Barrackpore, Serampore - have become mere suburbs of Kolkata.
INTACH is trying to revive interest in these forgotten settlements by promoting heritage tourism here.
The strategy is two-pronged - generate enough interest to draw in the tourists and then use the revenue for preservation and conservation. In fact, INTACH had begun work on identifying the areas around Kolkata that would interest heritage and culture tourists almost two decades ago. That culminated in a report called "Evolution of Euro-Indian Urbanisation on the West Bank of Ganga in Bengal". This project was re-launched and the organization is focusing its energies on promoting specific areas for heritage tourism. To attract tourists, INTACH has also proposed a river cruise down the Ganga.
The proposal is indeed ambitious, for INTACH plans to link the river cruise with maintenance and preservation of heritage sites along the route. The organisation projected a yearly cost of around Rs 52 lakh to operate the river cruise, while the estimated yearly revenue from ticket sales has been pegged at Rs 72 lakh. To attract potential partners, INTACH and the Central Ministry of Tourism made a documentary tracing the history of the region. G.M. Kapur, convenor of the Kolkata Chapter of INTACH, says, "A lot of interest has been generated among tour operators. People from the US have also shown interest. But for the project to take off, we need help from the state government, which was not forthcoming." INTACH is also looking at the countries that originally built these settlements for help. Kapur had said, "Foreign embassies are also keen on this project. There is no question of the project not happening."
That dream is being realized with support pouring in from agencies and organisations from all over the world. A Symposium titled “Re-Embracing Heritage: Environment, Craft and Community” was conducted by the INTACH Hooghly Chapter in collaboration with the University of Liverpool and funded by the AHRC (UK) and British Council recently. The organisation regularly holds competitions and virtual seminars to build awareness.
At the moment, the Hooghly chapter of INTACH has taken up the baton to organise workshops and leading visitors on heritage tours. You can look forward to heading out on a sunset cruise down the Ganga to relive the days of the Raj or walk among the colonial past replete across these Bengal towns.
Contact: hooghlyintach@gmail.com