Life Along the Hooghly River

Kolkata · 2009

Photographed in 2009, this series documents everyday life along the Hooghly River before many parts of Kolkata’s riverfront changed. Today, the photographs serve as a visual record of places and routines that have partly disappeared.

People gather, bathe and go about their daily routines along the Hooghly River in Kolkata, West Bengal, India. Historic riverside architecture and informal settlements illustrate the close relationship between the city and its river. April 2009.
Women and children spend time together among parked cycle rickshaws in a neighbourhood near the Hooghly River in Kolkata, West Bengal, India. Cycle rickshaws remain an important part of daily life and local transport in many parts of the city. April
A boy dives from the deck of a ferry into the Hooghly River while friends watch on a hot day in Kolkata, West Bengal, India. Swimming and diving from ferries and riverbanks are a familiar part of everyday life along the Hooghly. The Howrah Bridge is
A group of boys gather on the bow of a moored ferry before swimming in the Hooghly River in Kolkata, West Bengal, India. During the hot season, ferries and riverbanks become popular places for children to play, swim and spend time together. April 200
A boy is captured mid-air while diving into the Hooghly River in Kolkata, West Bengal, India. Swimming and diving in the river are a familiar part of everyday life for many local children during the hot season. April 2009.
A father smiles while holding his young son beside the Hooghly River in Kolkata, West Bengal, India. The portrait captures a quiet family moment along the riverbank, where everyday life unfolds around one of the city’s most important public spaces.
Residents cross a narrow canal by wooden boat in a residential neighbourhood of Kolkata, West Bengal, India. Small ferries remain an important part of daily transport, connecting communities separated by waterways.
A young man stands in a narrow lane of a neighbourhood along the Hooghly River in Kolkata, West Bengal, India. The portrait documents everyday life in one of the communities that have developed close to the city’s historic waterfront.
A man sits in a narrow lane of a neighbourhood along the Hooghly River in Kolkata, West Bengal, India. The portrait documents everyday life in one of the communities lining the city’s historic waterfront.
Two children stand in a narrow lane of a neighbourhood along the Hooghly River in Kolkata, West Bengal, India. The portrait is part of a documentary series exploring everyday life in communities along the city’s historic waterfront.
A family gathers outside their home in a neighbourhood along the Hooghly River in Kolkata, West Bengal, India. The image documents everyday life in one of the communities lining the city’s historic waterfront.
People gather along the steps of the Hooghly River at sunset in Kolkata, West Bengal, India. Bathing, washing and quiet moments mark everyday life beneath the iconic Howrah Bridge on the city’s historic waterfront.
People bathe and wash at a riverside ghat on the Hooghly River beneath Howrah Bridge in Kolkata, West Bengal, India. The evening light and everyday rituals reflect the close relationship between the city and its river.
A boy walks along the littered banks of the Hooghly River beneath Howrah Bridge (Rabindra Setu) in Kolkata, West Bengal, India. The scene contrasts everyday life, urban pollution and one of the city’s best-known landmarks.
Wooden poles, boats and temporary riverside shelters stand along the Hooghly River with Howrah Bridge in the background, Kolkata, West Bengal, India.
Hundreds of people gather at a riverside ghat on the Hooghly River in Kolkata, West Bengal, India. Families bathe, pray and meet along the steps in a scene that reflects the river’s enduring social and religious importance in everyday life.