Kolkata Heritage River Cruise

Since the inception of the cruise in October, 2020, we have been planning to take a ride on the Kokata Heritage River Cruise. Finally, the date for our departure arrived on the 27th of March, 2021. We arrived at the booking office of the West Bengal Transport Corporation at Shipping Corporation of India jetty in Millennium Park. The tickets were bought for an afternoon cruise for INR 39 per head. 

The cruise welcomes people on all days for a trip from 4 PM to 6 PM and 6 PM to 8 PM on weekdays and provides an extra slot from 2 PM to 4 PM on weekends. However, the queue of tourists gathered for the cruise on weekdays too is also quite noticeable. We boarded M.V. Uttama vessel from the jetty in a rush for a fascinating 2 hour long sail along the currents of the Hoogly river. During the cruise, we got access to an on-board cafeteria, selling dry snacks and hot drinks like tea or coffee. Selfie booths and traditional Bengali music played all along the trip added new feeling altogether. Everyone was requested to strictly have the face masks up and covering their nose and mouth, so that no one gets COVID as a form of takeaway from this aesthetic cruise. The voyage was a two-round trip between Vidyasagar Setu (better known as Second Hoogly Bridge) - the longest suspended bridge in India, and Rabindra Setu (better known as Howrah Bridge), both of which preserve the communication between the Kolkata and Howrah cities. Various historical monuments and landmarks which flanked the river were spoken about. We closely viewed the Nimtala Burning Ghat and the temple of Baba Bhootnath, Babooghat, Gwalior monument, Howrah Station, accompanied with some more. Apart from the historical sites, it was the glorious view of the sunset which mesmerized us. The cruise passed by the Eden Gardens too and then finally returned to the shipping jetty, bringing this unique voyage to an end. 

However, the various facts spoken about the the passing landmarks were not paid much attention to. Most of the people seemed to ignore them completely. To make this effort full-fledged, the people themselves need to be more aware of their own city and its history. The speakers also need to be more educated about the other significant landmarks which were not given attention. They should also be trained for speaking in such a way that they are always able to seek the ears of everyone present. This is one of the effective ways for exhibiting how the 'Heritage' cruise can convey a sense of patriotism and cultural, religious and traditional diversity among the citizens and recognize the truly rich heritage of the City of Joy.