Introduction

Of the many hues dotting the eastern banks of the Hooghly, you are naturally drawn to the mystic charm of the fiery red quay. For here, there is no man, no woman, no master, no slave, no yellow, no brown, no black, nor white. Here you see only red, red that stands for creation, red that signifies indomitable courage, red for intense love and passion. The enormous Chhotelal Ghat is where you see the union of the cupid and the colossus.

Route

Move northward by the Strand Road. Turn left onto Strand Bank Road from the Nagalingeswar Temple on right. Cross the Circular Railway line and turn right, and again move northwards with the yellow Mutty Seal Ghat on your left. The ghat on the right of Mutty Seal Ghat is the giant red Chhotelal Durga Prasad Ghat.

The Ghat

Named after ChhotelalDurga Prasad, the then lawyer at the Calcutta High Court, the Chotulal or ChotelalGhat is situated next to Mutty Seal Ghat along the east bank of the Hooghly River. Constructed in a mixed style of Hindu and Islamic architecture, there used to be a unique lotus-shaped Gumbaz on top of the ghat, , that gave the ghat its signature look. The Gumbaz no longer exists. As you enter the ghat, you are astounded by its sprawling premises spread across 44 kathas.

Like all other ghats of Kolkata, Chhotelal Ghat was also built to include some philanthropy in its  daridranarayana bhojan, kabutardana, pooja and dharamshala. Khichudi is served here on receiving funds from donors.

The main structure of the ghat is designed as  a two storeyed Dharmashala (shelter for devotees). The colour scheme used is a striking red. On its extreme left lies a series of temples such as those of Bhairav, Shankar, Ganesh and Durga and on the extreme right, Hanumanji.

 

The ghat has two akharas (wrestling arenas), constructed in 1961, of which one is an Indian style akhara with mud floor. Here, wrestling is taught between 6 – 8 am. The other, with the carpeted floor, is for training pupils in the Olympic style. Classes are conducted here between 3 – 6 pm. In front of the akhara is an open area surrounded with trees. Yoga classes are conducted here in the natural setting on Wednesdays. 

 

Inside the pavilion there are 40 platforms that are time-shared by nearly 100 pandas. The pavilion also has also a rather dingy ladies changing section. The ghat is open to the public for bathing, puja, shradh, pind daan and all such activities and observances. There is a Ganga Seva Samity Charitable Dispensary run by the Ganga Seva Samity Charitable Trust, which runs between 9 and 10 am on all days.

 

Cross the vast promenade in front of the pavilion to reach a small two-storeyed building, also in red, on the river front. This was supposed to have been constructed to carry out Gangarti by the devotees. On its terrace are small open air compartments for feeding the pigeons with grains and water. We were told these birds are offered one sack of millets every day.

 

Right next to the building is the statue of Guru Nathmalji Pareek (1911-2006), who was the founder of the Ganga Seva Samiti Ghat and the Wrestling Arena. Nathmalji himself was a fantastic wrestler who won several championships in Greater India and abroad. It was Nathmalji’s leadership, dedication and persistent effort that led to the establishment and development of the site.

 

There is a white marble plaque embedded high up on the wall, near the entrance, which carries an interesting story. The plaque is supposed to have been dedicated by a few English women to the memory of those pilgrims, mostly women, who perished with the Sir John Lawrence in the cylone of 25th May, 1887.

 

History

There is a fascinating story behind the construction of this particular ghat. It seems that Chhotelal Durga Prasad went into depression because he was childless. One morning, while taking a walk by the riverside, he came across a fakir. The fakir had a premonition that if Chhotelal built a ghat along the river, he would be blessed with a child. In due course, Chotelal fathered a son. And reminded of the fakir’s words, he decided to erect a ghat. And thus was built the splendid Chhotelal Ghat.

Life at the Ghat

Jwala Tiwari, a famous wrestler and the owner of the akharas, has been serving here for the past forty years. He came from UP when he was a small boy. Since academics was not his calling, he wanted to do something worthwhile - which didn’t involve studies. During 1991-2000, he competed in various wrestling championships and became the Bengal Champion in the 50 kg, 72 kg and 97 kg categories. Today, a proud Jwala trains more than 50 wrestlers, including girls, for both Indian and Olympic Meets.

Saraladevi comes all the way from Bongaon with her sons and daughters-in-law and spends a whole day by the ghat, taking a dip in the holy waters, drying her hair, offering pujas to the deities, having the khichudi bhog and sunbathing on the banks. Her sons are excited as they join the locals over a game of carrom.

Shreevidya climbs down the steps to reach the Olympic Wrestling Arena. As she meets her Guruji, Jwala Tiwari, she immediately bows down to touch her Guruji’s and Guruma’s feet. She is very excited as she’s going to take on a couple of boys today.

A few men and women in white can be seen loitering around the temple premises, offering pujas and doing pradakshinas. A group of homeless destitutes try to find refuge in the ghat’s Dharmashala.

If you fancy live wrestling, you may want to watch the pumped up muscles of Jwala’s trainees perform a corkscrew or chokeslam. You may even gulp in volumes of fresh air in the process, sitting on the soft mud under the cool shady trees and allow your muscles to stretch. 

Standing on the enormous promenade of the ghat, as I marvelled at the sun drowning in the Ganges, a flock of pigeons flew over the spire. I became motionless and still – lost in the splendour and beauty of the quay. No amount of life or death can stall the eternal ebb and flow of the waters – such is the beauty of the riverine, I thought. Humbled by the greatness of the spirit I had just caught a glimpse of, and as I began to move, I could hear the echo of my own voice, ‘For men may come and men may go, but I go on for ever.’