STEAMBOATS, SPICES, AND STORIES

RIVERS HAVE LONG BEEN THE LIFEBLOOD OF CIVILISATIONS, CARRYING NOT JUST PEOPLE AND GOODS BUT ALSO STORIES, CULTURES, AND CULINARY TRADITIONS

- PUSHPESH PANT

IN THE DAYS OF THE GRAND MUGHALS, travelling upstream from the suba of Bengal to Delhi via Murshidabad, Rajmahal, Patna, Benaras, and Allahabad took over two months. The journey was fraught with hazards—treacherous currents, tides, submerged obstacles, and inclement weather. Yet, it remained preferable to the land route, which was even more perilous due to wild beasts and bandits lurking in the dark.

Wealthy travellers made the journey on beautifully decorated wooden boats or large, flat-bottomed barges propelled by sails and able-bodied oarsmen. They arranged for hot meals on board to sustain themselves during the long voyage. Cooks and their helpers stocked up on provisions before embarking, supplementing dry rations with fresh vegetables and meat whenever they docked near a city.

The advent of British rule and their growing influence in India brought dramatic changes. Following a survey by Capt. James Prinsep, regular steamer services began in the mid-19th century. Steam-driven paddleboats revolutionised travel, cutting the journey time to 20 days. In 1947, ICS officer James Johnston detailed the birth and evolution of steamer services in Eastern India. The first steamers, about 120 feet long with a 22-foot beam and engines of 40 to 90 horsepower, could reach speeds of up to 7 mph. In those days, the same steamer never carried both passengers and goods passengers travelled in an "accommodation boat" towed behind the steamer.