Fort William restarts heritage walk for civilians

This is an 18th-century building and houses HQ, Eastern Command, Kolkata. There used to be a heritage walk around Fort William but COVID-19 led to its suspension for two years. This suspension is withdrawn. The building has a rich collection of army history starting from the Battle of Plassey. Visitors enjoy seeing parts of the 18th-century history and storing bits and pieces of information. There are various heritage buildings on the campus. These include a chapel-cum-library. It bears a strong resemblance to the chapel of the Trinity Hall in Cambridge, the Kitchener House and its grand dining table. There are also the Dalhousie barracks where Netaji was kept before being shifted to his Elgin House residence. While inaugurating the walk, Chief of Staff Lt Gen. K.K. Repswal, HQ, Eastern Command, said - “We used to have heritage walks in 2019 but because of the pandemic, it was stopped for two years. Today, we are resuming the walk. You will get to see a lot of war history, about life in Fort William and see the heritage structures here.” Heritage walk resumes at Fort William after pandemic break. Calcutta Heritage Collective arranged the inaugural walk. This is a group created to restore, revive and reuse built heritage in the city and the state.

The shape of Fort William is octagonal. Five of its sides face the land while the remaining three face the Hooghly. Moreover, there is a 9m deep and 15m wide moat. Incidentally, there used to be a fort built near where the GPO stands today. The British East India Company built it between 1698 and 1706. They named it after King William III. The current fort, too, gets its name. Anyway, in 1756, the Nawab of Bengal, Siraj-ud-daulah, attacked the old fort and took over the city. He renamed it Alinagar. Subsequently, the British constructed the new fort in the Maidan area in 1758. It was after the Battle of Plassey and completed in 1781. There are three layers of defense for the fort. These are the rampart walls, the moat (now dry) and a garden called Vatika. Incidentally, the fort has six gates, large enough for elephants to enter. Apart from these, there are nearly 500 cannons made dysfunctional after the British left. The Command Museum, built in 1956 and redesigned in 2010, narrates the story of the Eastern Command, World War II, the Burma Campaign, the Sino-Indian conflict and the Bangladesh Liberation War.

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It was an invitation from The Vatican she just could not miss. It was the canonization of Mother Teresa who was dear to not only Didi’s heart but to all downtrodden. And Didi seized the opportunity to move out of her known circle to visit an unknown land in the hope of bringing home some some goodies. Yes, she needed them badly.
Moo Cool met her at the airport before her departure.
‘Any good news,’ Didi asked him.
‘We are becoming a big force to reckon with,’ he whispered.
‘I know,’ she said. ‘I have decimated the opposition.’
‘Actually, there is no opposition,’ Moo Cool said. ‘You have put the fear of God into them and they have become meek lambs.’
‘What about our Delhi goals?’
‘We are getting recognition as a national party. That will boost our chances in 2019.’

Suddenly her mobile rang. It was Abhi Shake on the line – he informed her that the so-called bandh is fizzling out. There are buses on the roads, people are seen on the streets, and shops have opened. Didi was happy. She had taken a tough stand and it has paid off.
‘Most of the buses are empty,’ Abhi added.
‘That is not important,’ she said. ‘The fact is that there are buses plying.’
‘What about gully cricket matches?’ Didi asked.
‘I could not see any such activity,’ Abhi replied.
‘What a change,’ Didi sighed. ‘Bandh meant all activities were banned except gully cricket. I have changed that concept.’
The mobile rang again. It was now Dee Wreck on the line.
‘The staff in Nabanna are enjoying their picnic,’ he said. ‘The menu was fantastic. Fish fry, mutton curry, alu dum, luchi, rasogolla, mishit doi.’
‘Are they happy?’
‘They are. But, they want something more to remain happy.’
‘What do they want now?’
‘An extra holiday during the Puja festival.’
‘My naughty boys must have their fun,’ Didi grinned and moved towards the departure lounge. Her mind was busy with her future activities. She wanted to drop in on a few countries on the way back home. She wanted to woo a few investors. She had heard that Germany made small cars – and, she had links to Germany though Netaji. His wife was a German lady. Could Germany be persuaded to invest in Bangla? (to be continued …)


Image courtesy wikimediacommons.org


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