Standing coyly on the banks of the Hooghly, perched in a kind of strategic position, is a beautiful quay, bloom- flushed with peachy pride. Totally unabashed about its archaic style and flaunting its new-found youth in the recently refurbished painting and renovation, the ghat greets its swirling milieu of eager visitors with a smile. Such is the grace and elegance of the most renowned Baboo Ghat, also such its playful audacity!!

Location
Baboo Ghat is prominently located on Strand Road opposite Netaji Indoor Stadium, at the Auckland Road (Shahid Khudiram Bose Road) junction.

The Ghat
Constructed by Babu Rajchandra Das of Janbazar, the husband of Rani Rashmoni, Baboo Ghat is acknowledgedly the most popular bathing ghat of the city. A marble plaque beneath the pediment, however, indicates Lord William Bentinck’s contribution towards the erection of this ghat. Bentinck firmly believed in the need for expenditure of public funds towards improvement of public amenities. 

The majesty of the handsome Graeco-Doric colonnade of Baboo Ghat has been revealed after its revamp. The tall colonial pavilion with huge pillars, the peach-pink walls and interesting light-effects make for a spectacular visual. High up on the wall are louvred concrete window-like structures which somehow add to the air of mystery and old-world charm. There is a small parking area in front of the pavilion that can accommodate 3-4 cars. 
The motley crowd at Baboo Ghat involved in the myriad activities its precincts harbour, is largely dominated by the priests, mostly hailing from Odisha, and devotees, and of course by masseurs – who rub shoulders and vie for space with the daily commuters. Baboo Ghat is a temporary refuge for several pandas (priests) who live in a make-shift arrangement and work in rotation round the year. This is evident from the huge wooden rectangular boxes which serve as storage containers for their wares kept inside the pavilion.
Baboo Ghat is not merely a bathing ghat. During Pitripaksha, the fortnight before Mahalaya, people gather in large numbers, offering tarpan to their forefathers. It is also a popular spot for immersion of small household idols. During Chhatt, Baboo Ghat comes alive as the rituals of worshipping the Sun God (Suryadev) continue till the wee hours.

As you walk down the flight of broad stairs that descend to the waters, you will unfortunately encounter a tin shade which effectively guards the view of the Circular Railway tracks. The waterside, sadly, is foul, with debris of decaying flowers, remnants of long-forgotten idols half-submerged in the muddy swirls.
Earlier, the ghat burgeoned at the seams with the shabby quarters for the pandas that had cropped up on either side. The pandas had also stuffed the pavilion with their belongings, making the place unfit for human habitation. However, after the restoration, most of the quarters (nearly 22) have been demolished. Today, the pavilion with its well painted walls and proper electrification looks like a decent abode of the denizens who frequent it.
Very recently, KMDA has constructed a beautiful iron bridge behind the ghat, called the Baboo Ghat Foot Overbridge that acts as a connector over the new walkway along the Ganges. It passes over a beautifully paved pathway flanked by garden-greenery, furnished with seats and ornate light posts and railings – and with a drop-dead gorgeous view of the Ganges.

History
There is an inscription high up on the pavilion which reads: “The Right Hon'ble Lord William Cavendish Bentinck, Governor General of India, with a view to encourage public munificence to works of public utility, has been pleased to determine that this ghat, erected at the expense of Rajchandra Das in 1838 shall be called Baboo Rajchunder Doss Ghat.” However, subsequently, people forgot the name of Rajchandra Das and the ghat came to be known as Baboo Ghat. 
According to Radharaman Mitra, “Rajchandra's grandfather was into the bamboo trade while his father, Pritiram Doss worked in the custom house and was in the rice trade. Pritiram had married into a rich family of Janbazar and acquired the property in the area through marriage. It was Rajchandra Das who had constructed a metalled road from Chowringhee to Baboo Ghat, which was initially named after him. Apparently, the same road, lying perpendicular to Baboo Ghat from his ancestral house in Janbazar, was once sealed off by Rani Rashmoni to teach the boorish sahibs a lesson when they tried to stop religious processions to Baboo Ghat. Later, it came to be known as Auckland Road."
It is said that Rani Rashmoni would regularly come to Baboo Ghat for bathing, from her residence at Janbazar. 

Life at the Ghat
Baboo Ghat, which had lost much of its shine under the ravages of time, is slowly regaining its former glory, thanks to the efforts of the family of Rani Rashmoni – who had restored the ghat in collaboration with the KMC, a year back.  
Baboo Ghat is and has always been an indistinguishable part of life for most Kolkatans. Synonymous with the greater dynamics of the life cycle, ensconced by the gently flowing Hooghly for the conducting of the ceremonies of life and death, the ghat is forever busy. While Shyamsundar Padhi is seen to perform his daily aarti at the Pashupatinath Temple, Jagannath Sau is busy in getting a poor girl married to an elderly man. Yashpal Singh, meanwhile, lies down nonchalantly on the wooden platform for a session of oil massage. With his hands kneading and pounding the oiled body, Abhay Seth gives him a rigorous massage for an hour.
Outside, there are stalls and vendors who sell everything from neem twigs and plastic jars to flowers, fruits and sweetmeats for the devotees. The plastic jars are in huge demand among the bathers, who use these jars when taking a dip to fill and carry the sacred gangajal back home. Pedestrians and passersby are seen scurrying to the jetty adjacent to the Baboo Ghat not to miss the next ferry to Howrah.
At Baboo Ghat, the interested will sniff myriad distinct flavours of life, the sensitive see shaded vignettes that Kolkata is noted for. Here is where an interesting milieu gathers regularly. You might find a poet of some calibre thoughtfully chewing on a blade of grass as he gazes out to the expanse of waters beyond or a policeman enforcing peace. You might find sellers lustily describing the attractions of their wares. Or spot the philosopher seeking salvation or some more pragmatic soul happy with just an invigorating desi massage. To the more discerning, Baboo Ghat is a way of looking differently at the world around you. It is a metaphor for life.