Kolkata’s iconic Howrah Bridge has stood strong for more than 80 years– surviving Japanese air raids during World War II, earthquakes and the weight of millions of commuters each day. But a new viral video has reminded the internet that this engineering marvel’s biggest threat is not nature or war… it’s gutkha stains.
The clip, shared on Instagram, shows the damage caused by years of paan and gutkha spitting on the bridge’s steel structures. And the internet had a field day reacting to it.
“Ajay Devgn supremacy,” joked a user, hinting at the actor’s paan masala commercials.
“Power of ₹5,” wrote another, taking a dig at the cost of chewing tobacco.
“Even Japanese bombs missed the bridge but gutkha didn’t,” quipped one person.
Another suggested: “Take the repair charges from Ajay Devgn.”
“If it’s still funny to us, it shows how long it’ll take us to develop some civil sense,” a user wrote.
“All forms of chewing tobacco should be banned in India; it’s a nuisance to the country, just like Singapore banned chewing gum,” a user demanded.
The comments section was flooded with references to “Bolo Zubaan Kesari,” the tagline of a popular gutkha brand.
For context, engineers from Kolkata Port Trust had first raised the alarm in 2013 after discovering thick layers of gutkha deposits corroding the base plates of the bridge. The acidic mix of spit, lime and tobacco was found to be eating into the steel, forcing authorities to replace the covers with fibreglass.
It’s ironic because the Howrah Bridge, completed in 1943 without using a single nut or bolt, has withstood far greater challenges in the past. During World War II, Japanese fighter planes bombed Kolkata, but their explosives missed the bridge. One such bomb, later recovered from the Hooghly river, is now preserved in the Kolkata Police Museum.
As one viral comment summed it up: “A bridge that even bombs couldn’t destroy is being eaten away by ₹5 gutkha. That’s the story of India’s habits.”
