Baboo Ghat (Babughat) is one of the lively riverbanks of the Kolkata metropolitan city. It remains in the buzz from the early hours of the morning to the late hours of the evening. Not surprisingly, during the dawn when the majority of the Kolkata population is at the brink of their sweet slumber the riverbank wakes up. Evidently, a portion of the city population is busy here with their regular chores of bathing, praying or following the regimes of physical fitness.
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| Baboo Ghat |
The location of the riverbank has its own significance. Some of the prominent landmarks of the city are located within its proximity. Beginning from offices, court, gardens, playgrounds, sports coaching clubs to local railway station, indoor stadium, and bus terminus all locate in its adjoining space. To name a few are the Netaji Indoor Stadium, Eden Garden Cricket Ground, Eden Garden Railway Station, Kolkata High Court, Akashvani Bhavan and Raj Bhavan occupy the mind first.
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| Baboo Ghat outside view |
However, during the festive days the riverbank attracts volumes of visitors. On the event of Chhath Puja itself the devotees gather in groups near the riverbank in the morning and evening. Long processions of people in trucks, tempos and thela gadis (two-wheeler carts) make their way to the region. The impressive beatings of the drums, bursting of firecrackers and dances paint the entire atmosphere with festive colours. Clearly same spirit and enthusiasm is perceived during the festivals of Durga Puja, Kali Puja and Saraswati Puja when the devotees come to the riverbank for the immersion of idols in the holy waters of the river Ganges.
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| visitors at riverbank |
On this pretext, the Baboo Ghat Ferry service and the Baboo Ghat Bus Terminus deserve a mention as well. These help immensely in smooth transition of people with their belongings from one point of the city to the other. The Ferry Service is operative between 8 am to 8 pm every day and thousands of people depend on this mode of transportation for reaching offices, school, colleges and home. In the basics, the Ferry Service also comes in handy when the adjoining Strand Road gets plagued with traffic jam from time to time. Another important trait of the region is that several public buses, intercity buses and interstate buses including AC, non-AC and Volvo buses leave regularly from the Baboo Ghat Bus Terminus.
Read more about Kolkata Ferry Ride from our blog site
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| view from the riverbank |
While for some people the riverbank is a venue of carrying out the regular chores, but still for some others it is also a means of livelihood. Together with the pundits, purohits (priests) and barbers the male body massagers or masseurs earn their daily bread and butter from here. The masseurs are found at one corner of the riverbank while descending the concrete steps towards the Ghat. They have a thin cotton traditional towel of orange colour tied on their hips and a side bag which they hang from a wall nearby while they remain busy with their work. The side bag most probably is used by them to keep the things required for their trade like oils for massage. Moreover, there are several wooden slabs (appears soaked with oil) stretching six to seven feet in length. It is over these wooden slabs they provide massage to the customers or intended visitors who want to have a massage before taking the first dip into the river waters. Some jobs or professions do gain hype around them and some do not at all. Whatever the reality, it is believed that the relevance of the masseurs and their job here is as ancient as the Ghat itself.