5 Most Popular Incidents Happened On Howrah Bridge
Howrah Bridge is a nostalgia for many of us. Being the 6th largest Cantilever bridge in the world, the Howrah bridge is the main connector between Kolkata and Howrah, crossing over from the Hooghly river.
The structural base of the Howrah bridge is very rare as not a single nut or bolt was used in its making, rather it's a suspension-type bridge with a balanced cantilever and truss arch. A huge number of pedestrians and vehicles used to cross the Howrah bridge every day.
Howrah bridge is also one of the heritage architecture of Bengal, established in the year 1943. As it is one of the vintage establishments, Howrah bridge witnessed many things. Here are a few important events that Howrah bridge has experienced in its lifespan.
What Are the Top 5 Incidents that Happened On Howrah Bridge?
We are sharing some of the lesser-known facts that Howrah bridge has witnessed -
The World War
Did you know that the idea of constructing a bridge over the Hooghly river originated in the early 1900s? Yes, you get me right.
The concept of the Howrah bridge came into mind during that time and global tenders were announced. But the project got held up due to the First World war.
Later, in 1936, the construction work started by Braithwaite Burn & Jessop Construction Company Limited and in the year 1943, the construction work of this bridge was finally over.
Simple Inauguration
We all know that the Howrah bridge is one of the finest creations of engineering work from the British days and one of the longest bridges in the world.
But when the bridge construction was completed, the British government did not celebrate its inauguration in any grand way. At that time, the war situation was still very fresh and there was a fear of a Japanese attack on the bridge.
Tram Movement
Very few people know that the first public vehicle that crossed the Howrah bridge was a Tram. During the initial days, along with the buses, two-wheeler and four-wheeler cars, Tram services were also available at Howrah bridge.
At that time, there was a limited rush of people on the Bridge. But as time passed by, the number of Howrah bridge users increased hugely.
For this reason, in 1993, Kolkata Port Trust decided to cancel the tram movement on Howrah bridge. Since then, tram services were rerouted from the bridge.
Appearance in Films
Being a heritage of Bengal as well as India, Howrah bridge has witnessed a lot of film shooting on it. Also, for the beautiful scenic view of Howrah bridge, many films have used this location in their film appearance.
Below are some of the iconic films in which Howrah bridge was featured - Do Bigha Zameen by Bimal Roy (1953), Parash Pathar by Satyajit Ray (1958), academy award-winning film Gandhi (1982), City of Joy (1992), Maniratnam's Yuva in 2004, Pradeep Sarkar's Parineeta (2005), Gundey by Ali Abbas Zafar (2014), Piku (2015) and a lot more.
Rename of Bridge
The Howrah bridge was renamed Rabindra Setu after worldwide famous Bengali laureate Rabindranath Tagore in the year 1965. But, though the bridge got renamed officially, we still call it the Howrah bridge and this is a nostalgic name to all the Bengalis.
Howrah Bridge is still free from toll tax in both ways and is one of the most populated bridges. If you still have not visited Howrah bridge, it's time you consider it.
