Short Blog 3: Every Bridge Has a Story to Tell

The Howrah Bridge in Calcutta is one of the oldest hanging bridges in the world with no pillars supporting its suspension over the Hooghly River and is a famous tourist attraction in the city. The bridge is a symbol of the contradictions that Calcutta stands for: its glorious past where modernity and urbanisation rapidly changed its fortunes in the early years of the British Raj in India and its present which is but a shell of its former glory, clearly evident in the badly maintained Howrah Bridge. The bridge looks extremely old and unimpressive when not being captured by aesthetic lenses, as though it hasn’t moved with the times which is precisely what Calcutta has done.

Picture Credit:

https://www.trawell.in/admin/images/upload/564578191Howrah_%20bridge.jpg