19.10.18
Like always I got up very early to enjoy the view and do some “paper work”. Breakfast as usual and then we took our country boat across to Chandannagar for a walking tour.
Chandannagar – formerly spelled as Chandernagore – is a town of a former French colony located about 35 km north of Kolkata. Situated at the Hooghly River, the city has been able to maintain a unique identity different from all other cities and abide by her own characteristics.
The First Director of the French East India Company paid 40000 coins to the Mughal subahdar in 1688 to gain control of the area and build a factory there. The prosperity of Chandannagar as a French colony started soon after. In 1730 Joseph François Dupleix was appointed governor of the city, during whose administration more than 2000 houses were erected in the town and a considerable maritime trade was carried on. It also attracted people from all over India who came and settled here for trade and commerce. The population of the city reached to be around 100000 at that time and the town of Calcutta was a poor cousin of Chandannagar. From Dupleix’s time to 1756 Chandannagar was the main center for European commerce in Bengal. The city had thriving centres of trade involving Opium, Indigo, Silk, Rice, Rope, Sugar etc. The fine clothes of Chandannagar was imported to Europe. In 1756, however, war broke out between France and Great Britain and Colonel Robert Clive of the British East India Company and Admiral Charles Watson of the British Navy bombarded and captured Chandannagar in March 1757. Chandannagar’s importance as a commercial center was now eclipsed by that of Calcutta situated down river. Returned to France in 1816, it was governed as part of French India until 1850, under the political control of the governor-general in Pondicherry. By 1900 the town’s former commercial importance was gone, and it was little more than a quiet suburb of Calcutta. But it was noted for its clean wide thoroughfares, with many elegant residences along the riverbank.
Arriving on the ghat there were many cycle rickshaw men touting for passengers. We walked, however, down the road past an old ruined house which was all grown over by a big tree. It looks very cool. Nature is taking over here in the middle of the town. Nevertheless, below on the ground floor were still chai shops and food stalls attached to it. Life must go on.
A little further on we stopped to watch a little old lady cook breakfast in one of the food stalls. She had a simple yet efficient set up in her stall and was frying things for breakfast. She would sell it along with dhal and vegetable and chai and make a reasonable living with it. Amit was explaining the guests the breakfast habit of local people and talked to the lady. Many a photo were taken of her and she was still smiling probably thinking – Those foreigners!
Further down the road we met an old man going for or coming from his morning bath maybe. He was clad in the traditional dhoti only and carried a bucket with his utensils along. Slowly he shuffled along ignoring the foreigners. He had a stick of a Nime tree in his mouth. That is used to brush the teeth.
Azadirachta indica – commonly known as neem, nimtree or Indian lilac – is a tree in the mahogany family. It is native to the Indian subcontinent and is typically grown in tropical and semi-tropical regions. Traditionally, slender neem twigs – called datun – are first chewed as a toothbrush and then split as a tongue cleaner. This practice has been in use in India, Africa, and the Middle East for centuries. It is still used in India’s rural areas. Neem twigs are still collected and sold in rural markets for this use. It has been found to be as effective as a toothbrush in reducing plaque and gingival inflammation.
Much was happening on the streets in the morning. Next up was a semi mobile Barber Shop set in a bright blue wooden container. You see barbers everywhere – on the streets under trees, on the sidewalks with nothing more than a chair and a mirror tugged to a tree or wall. This one was a step up with his own shop actually all set up in this 2m x 2m thing. And he is visible because of the bright blue color he chose!
Further down the road the guests stopped fascinated at a paan stall. Paan is a preparation combining betel leaf with areca nut and is widely consumed throughout Asia. It is chewed for its stimulant and psychoactive effects. After chewing it is either spat out or swallowed. Tobacco-filled paan induces profuse salivation that stains mouth area red and the spit from chewing betel nuts is often considered an eyesore. Because of this, many places have banned selling and chewing betel nut. I remember when staying in cheap hotels the first time I visited Myanmar in 1996, there often were red spit corners in the corridors or in the rooms. The red spit spots on the streets are nowadays not as abandoned as they used to be, though. Paan is widely criticized due to the cleanliness issue. Therefore, it is losing its appeal to farmers because of falling demand. Consumers prefer chewing tobacco formulations over paan. Higher costs, water scarcity and unpredictable weather have made betel gardens less lucrative.
Our guides had the paanwala prepare one paan for demonstration purposes. The use of the term “betel nut” is actually not botanically correct, because betel is a tree which is cultivated in the same manner as the grape-vine. It has no fruit and is grown only for the sake of its leaves. Areca nut however is the seed of the fruit of the oriental palm Areca catechu which is somewhat like a nutmeg, but is broken up until it is reduced to small pellets. Chewing the mixture of areca nut and betel leaf is a tradition, a custom or ritual which dates back thousands of years from India to the Pacific. A paan generally contains betel leaf, areca nut and slaked lime, and may contain tobacco. Other substances, particularly spices, including cardamom, saffron, cloves, aniseed, turmeric, mustard or sweeteners, are added according to local preferences.
I think the guy put everything inside he had on offer and our guests watched closely. When he fished he offered the paan to Amit, who had paid for it, but he told him it is a gift and he can have it himself. You should have seen the look on the guys face! He probably prefers his paan with less of the ingredients. But he chewed it and grinned. After all he made good business – ge got paid for the paan and could have it himself!
Walking along the small town streets is always very interesting. There are still many cycle rickshaws around here. This mode of transport is widely used in small towns and for short distances. In India the rickshaw pullers are often people who have moved to urban areas to look for some extra money due to failure of income from their agricultural labour jobs. The lure is of course only the money they can make, though the task is more physically demanding.
The roads in the town center are usually lined by vegetable or fish sellers. They put out a tarp and then spread the products out on it. Especially fascinated – or appalled – were the guests by the fish sellers. They have this huge stationary knife thing with which they cut the fish in portions on the spot. There is sometimes a great variety of fish and it did usually look very fresh.
One of the sights not to be missed in Chandannagar is the Sacred Heart Church – L’Eglise du Sacré Cœur. The church was built by the French in 1696. The Parish Priest – Father Orson Welles – that is his real name and “You cannot forget my name” he told us very correctly, when he welcomed us and gave a delightful explanation of the churches history. The church was spared in the war between the British and the French in the 18th century, because apparently nobody wanted to destroy a place of Christian worship.
It has a beautifully carved wooden pulpit and Father Orson Wells is very proud that it is still the original wood and not eaten up by termites or such. The confessionals had been not so lucky and were quite in need of restoration. There were also many stained glass windows in the church.
Leaving the church walking towards The Strand – this is what the promenade along the river bank is called – we passed the obligatory Gandhi Statue. In almost every town of any size you can find a Gandhi statue somewhere. He is every present. It feels similar like the Lenin statues in Russia, where every sizable town has a Lenin statue. Maybe I should make a project next time I come to India and photograph all the Gandhi statues I can find!
The walk along the Strand was pleasant. There was a little park with a children’s playground between the road and the river. Some kids had great fun on the slide.
The views over the Hooghly River towards the ship were very nice as well and our country boat awaited us at the ghat already. We got tangled up in a fisherman’s line on the way, but the boat staff freed us quickly.
We got back on board a little later than expected – too much to see and photograph in town. But it was only a short sail of about 30 min to Chinsura, were we went for our next visit even before lunch.
This time we took cycle rickshaws. On this cruise they really try to have a lot of different modes of transports included in the program. Here in the small town of Hooghly-Chinsura there are still enough cycle rickshaws around to try this. We got one rickshaw per guest – Westerners are bigger and heavier than most Indians – in order to not get complaints by the guests as to “the poor rickshaw man has to pull us big people” – not that they would get off and walk alternatively, no, they would not….
The question of why take a cycle rickshaw, this slow and old mode of transport in a time when there are so many motorized vehicles available, is something similar to why take a hand-pulled rickshaw in Kolkata. Local people as well prefer the cycle rickshaws as they can be fast, handy and cheaper than any other mode of transport. We might go through the ethical dilemma of sitting in relative comfort in the backseat of a rickshaw, when the fellow human being is struggling in the front to pull us ahead. But then, we also realize that by taking the ride, we are providing some income to the person, which we would take away from him, by refusing the ride. And by shuttling tourists that income is even slightly higher than when shuttling locals.
The efficient rickshaw pullers took the guests gliding through the narrow lanes, shouting at the passersby “toda side dedo saab”. Even though we had not many rickshaws it was hard to keep the convoy going. When I was here with larger groups there used to be a line of sometimes 30 rickshaws going through town. Today it was considerably less. The guests – most guests – thoroughly enjoyed the ride past markets and Durga Pujas.
Chinsurah is a town approx 35 km north of Kolkata. The Portuguese founded it in 1579. The place flourished as a trading port. In the 17th century, political disorder struck the town and the Mughal governor of Bengal expelled the Portuguese. Then in 1656 the Dutch erected a factory on the site of the town of Chinsura, used as a base for the Dutch intra-Asian trade of goods such as saltpetre, spices, cotton and indigo. In 1825 however, the Dutch ceded many of their possession in India to the British, in exchange for the British possessions in Sumatra.
Our rickshaw ride took about 10 min and brought us to the old Dutch Cemetery. It dates back to the mid-18th century, but it is difficult to ascertain exactly when the burial ground was shifted. The place is in bad order, however. but houses about 45 tombs and the oldest one is that of Sir Cornelius Jonge who died here in 1743. Enclosed by a high brick wall the cemetery holds mausoleums, graves and tombs.
It was very hot today again, but it was nice to walk around the old tombs, even though there was not much shade.
Our cycle rickshaws waited for us outside and off we went again for another 10 min or so through the busy streets towards the Hooghly Imambara.
The Hooghly Imambara – literally “The house where the Imam lives” – is a Muslim congregation hall and mosque. The construction of the building was started by Muhammad Mohsin in 1841 and completed 20 years later. The building is a huge two-storied structure, with the mosque having intricate designs and texts from the Quran engraved on the walls.
The interior of the mosque is decorated with marbles, candles and many hanging lanterns, but everything is in desperate need of renovation.
Hooghly Imambara is apparently famous for its vaunted clock, which is at the middle of the twin towers constructed on the doorway of the main entrance. Each tower has a height of approx 50 m and it takes 152 steps to reach its top. Unfortunately – or maybe better for our guests – climbing the tower was not allowed. The clock has two dials with three different size bells. Smaller bells are supposedly ringing at an interval of 15 minutes and bigger bell ring to signify one hour. To be honest, I have been here a couple of times before and have never heart the bells ring! The clock apparently requires 2 people to wind it for half an hour of each week, with a key weighing 20 kg.
Unfortunately, the twin towers were all clad in scaffolding for restoration, so the sight was not as nice as usual. Also, it was Friday today and we were a bit late. At 12:00 noon they start the Friday prayers and close the Imambara for visitors. Since we were slightly delayed, we had only 10 min to have a quick look inside the mosque before being kicked out.
Usually, we visit the premises and then take a walk outside through a slum like section of the town. Nothing bad about that! They recycle old car and truck tires there. They melt them and take the metal threading out to sell it. The people there are very friendly. And let us watch. Only this time we did not have the time to go there, because the jetty for our country boat was behind the Imambara and we had to go through the premises to get there. But they were closed for the prayers and so we had to get out or wait for an hour. Unfortunately, there was not enough to see for that long around the Imambara.
Waiting for our country boat we watched a snack man mix different peas and other ingredient together for a snack. From such a flying stall it is however not suitable for the sensible Western stomachs of our precious guests. So our guide Babu – who is the naturalist on board – the birdman, so to say – tried it out for us. Even for him it was spicy!
Back on board we had lunch and the afternoon was for relaxing. I had a little siesta before going up to the sundeck around 15:30, when it was not so hot anymore.
The sun set at about 17:00 and most guests came up to the sundeck around that time. There is good birdwatching at this time of the day. Of course you always get people who never ever leave their cabins! Good thing the cabins have huge windows, unfortunately you then see only one side of the river and it is the wrong side then you do not even see the sunset.
The light was fantastic just before the sun set over the Hooghly River. The banks are mostly lined with now flowering wild sugarcane or kans grass (Saccharum spontaneum), which is a grass native to the Indian Subcontinent. It is a perennial grass, growing up to 3 m in height. We discussed this grass for like 3 days before we found out what exactly it was. From afar it kind of looked like reed, but close up it was very different. Our Indian guides did not know the English or Latin name and just called it elephant grass. But that is something different as well. Eventually, after much research on google we found it. I had never really seen it before when I was here, because it was never flowering then.
In the Terai-Duar savanna and grasslands, a lowland ecoregion at the base of the Himalaya range in Nepal, India, Bangladesh and Bhutan, kans grass quickly colonizes exposed silt plains created each year by the retreating monsoon floods of the rivers, forming almost pure stands on the lowest portions of the floodplain.
Especially in the setting sun the flowering grass made a fantastic foreground. It stood very tall on the banks and also covered most of the sandbanks in the river.
We saw night herons (Nycticorax nycticorax), which are a medium-sized heron found throughout a large part of the world, except in the coldest regions and Australasia. There was a big flock of lapwings, noted for its slow, irregular wing beat in flight and a shrill, wailing cry. The range of the river lapwing (Vanellus duvaucelii) extends from the Indian Subcontinent eastwards to Southeast Asia. And apparently we also spotted a jackal plying the river bank. For me it looked more like a dog, but they all were certain it was a jackal.
Many of the small fishing boats were being paddled along the river with nets attached to them for catch as many fish as possible.
Sunset was spectacular today! I had forgotten how great Ganga sunsets are!
Around that time also many of the Durga statues from the Durga Puja Festival were marched to the river banks and ceremoniously dumped into the river. It was the last day of the grand festival.
Vijaya Dasami – the 10th and last day of the festival – ends with a great procession where the clay statues are ceremoniously walked to a river or ocean coast for a solemn goodbye to Durga. It is an emotional day for some devotees, and the congregation sings emotional goodbye songs. When the procession reaches the water, Durga is immersed, the clay dissolves, and she is believed to return to Mount Kailasha with Shiva and cosmos in general. People distribute sweets and gifts, visit their friends and family members.
In other parts along the Ganges it is not allowed to throw the whole statue into the river, because of the somewhat toxic color they used to paint them. But along the Hooghly it is still common practice and we saw quite a few statues of all sizes being thrown in the river. There was a bigger village and they even had a crane to lift the statues down the bank. It looked like they were immersing a lot of different Durgas there.
The traditional idols are usually made of biodegradable materials such as straw, clay, resin, and wood. Nowadays, brighter colored statues have increased and diversified the use of non-biodegradable, cheaper or more colorful substitute synthetic raw materials. Considerably concerns about the paint used to produce the statue, stating that the heavy metals in these paints pollute rivers when the statues are immersed at the end of the Durga festival have been raised.
Once the sun was down I went to Romeet to do the daily program for the next day – a daily ritual after sunset. Dinner was as usual very good. And later – while the guests watched a movie – I treated myself to a Thai back massage by Leimi who runs the small spa on board together with her husband. What bliss that was!
