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All pictures by Soumyajit Dey
A renovated and beautified Judges Ghat, now called the Prerna Ghat, was inaugurated in Kolkata on Wednesday to mark the occasion of Ganesh Chaturthi.
Kolkata mayor Firhad Hakim inaugurated the ghat in the presence of Prerna Foundation and Gloster Limited representatives, and police and army personnel.
Before lighting the lamp, Hakim spoke to those who gathered on the occasion. “We who are here today, people think that we do this, we do that — we don’t do anything. We only try, the power to create is in the hands of the creator; the ponds, farms, hospitals, schools and colleges you see coming up are all his will, not ours”
Hemant Bangur, chairman of Gloster Limited, the company that renovated the ghat, had an emotional connection to the old Judges Ghat. It was here that he performed the rituals after the demise of his mother, Pushpa Bangur. “When I was here in 2015 to perform the rituals, I was deeply saddened by the state it was in. That's when I had the dream of transforming this ghat,” he said.
Pawan Tibrewalla, secretary, board of Trustees of Prerna Foundation, said, “Today we see this beautifully renovated ghat in front of us. This took a lot of effort and cooperation from various people involved — Prerna Foundation, Gloster Limited, the army, Kolkata Police, Kolkata Municipal Corporation and the railways.”
The ghat has been dedicated to the City of Joy in remembrance of Pushpa Bangur. It will serve as a reminder that ghats across Kolkata can be clean and beautiful, and a place to perform rituals for beloved family members
There is now a clean washroom and shower area on one side of the ghat, while the other side has been prepared for the rituals.
