The Tempest & Lord Canning’s Dream
Do you want to escape the city this weekend? How about heading to Sundarban for an exploration of the rich bio-diversity and discover the history of Canning in Sundarban. Construction of the port at Canning began in 1861-62 as an alternative to Kolkata, hoping that it would rival the port at Singapore. The Hooghly river had been the lifeline of commerce for European trading ships as they made their way up the river. The initial plans were quite impressive. It was decided that a port and town would be developed and two lots of 8000 and 650 acres were kept aside for development.
The port and town was to be named in honour of the then Lord Canning, surprisingly whose wife was already being made famous across Bengal by the way of a dark, deep fried sweet named as ladykeni.
Right from the start Port Canning had difficulty raising funds for construction. The government in Calcutta refused to loan it money. Instead, it insisted that money be raised from the public via debentures. Efforts were made to do so, however, all such efforts failed. Having commenced operations in 1861-62, the number of ships arriving increased steadily till around 1867.The location of Port Canning put it at great risk of damage and this warning had been issued years earlier in 1838.An English merchant captain by the name of Henry Piddington, had made a study of storms at sea using ship logs while stationed in the Carribeans. He predicted that Port Canning being built on the Matla river was a very bad idea. He wrote a letter of warning to the then Governor-General and this went unheeded.
On a dreadful night in 1867, a storm passed over Port Canning resulting in the death of hundreds and thousands of humans and cattle. Port Canning as well as the town was reduced to absolutely ‘nothing’. This however was a minor storm, but Matla came bearing all its force. After the storm, efforts were made to repair the port, but it barely limped ahead and the number of ships visiting drastically reduced. By 1871, the port was abandoned.
Today, however, Canning is buzzing with life, it is a major market for supply of fish to Kolkata. Festivals and fairs are held here often. Take in the sights and sounds of Canning on your next visit to Sundarban.
