More than fifty years since it was first erected, Calgary’s Jaipur Pedestrian Bridge is undergoing some serious rehabilitation as part of a project aiming to revitalize the Eau Claire neighbourhood in the city’s downtown.
The bridge has a longstanding reputation for being one of Calgary’s most treaded pedestrian connections, as it links Eau Claire to the popular Prince’s Island Park. Its history goes as far back as the late 1960s, and its unique name points to one very prominent Bearspaw resident.
Omkar Channan, an accomplished businessperson in both Calgary and Rocky View County, was directly responsible for the naming of the bridge in 1994. He said he suggested the name as a means to commemorate Calgary’s sister city connection with Jaipur, India, where a hospital is aptly named the Jaipur Calgary Eye Hospital.
“To recognize and acknowledge [Jaipur’s] good will, I proposed the name for the bridge and the prominent site in the city,” Channan said.
The sister city connection between Jaipur and Calgary dates as far back as 1973, when common interests in industries such as engineering and manufacturing first inspired the bond. According to Channan, the relationship was strengthened in the 1990s, when he travelled to Jaipur to gauge the city’s interest in maintaining the connection.
Upon his return, Channan stressed to the City of Calgary there should be interaction between the two municipalities, or the bond would hold no real value. The same year, he founded and incorporated the Calgary-Jaipur Development Foundation to create legitimacy to the connection.
Channan said Calgary City council endorsed his recommendations for the formation of the foundation, with the creation of a parallel organization in Jaipur with identical goals.
"Inactivity in both cities fell short of achieving the purpose of twinning," Channan said in an email to the Rocky View Weekly. "To cement the relationship, I proceeded incorporating in both vibrant cities foundations with identical objectives – we continue to make sure our flagships make significant collaborative work.
"The City's support and approval became a reason of success."
The construction of a new and improved Jaipur bridge is expected to reach completion in the fall of 2022, replacing the existing bridge, as it suffers from wear-and-tear resulting from water and salt. While the current structure is at the end of its service life, the new design includes a three-span bridge with light railings that provide views to the surrounding park and river.
According to the City of Calgary’s website, the newly designed bridge will nearly double in width to six metres, and will be raised by a metre as a safeguard from flooding. The bridge will also accommodate emergency vehicles that need access to Prince’s Island Park, while at the same time maintaining access to the park and Bow River pathways for cyclists and pedestrians.
"The new replacement bridge will be a perpetual reminder to the generations to come that all levels of government are one of the key social actors with whom non-government organizations (NGOs) interact or relate," Channan said in his email. "Thus, widely influencing differing historical, cultural, and economic contexts and the organizational experiences of NGOs in their relations with government take many forms."
In 2012, Channan was recognized for his contributions to the sister-city partnership, when Calgary Mayor Naheed Nenshi presented him with a plaque. Three years later, the Bearspaw resident was commemorated in a book titled The A-List as one of 43 outstanding Indo-Canadians, with the individuals named during Pravasi Bhartiya Divas – a celebratory day in the state of Gujarat, India.
Other Calgary-Jaipur Development Foundation initiatives include an exhibition honouring the Indian Army’s contributions in both World Wars, hosted by the Museum of Regiments (now known as the Military Museum).
Channan also participated in a five-part television series and documentary, titled Rajasthan the Land of Kings. He said the documentary helped Canadians to know more about India, its people, and the sister-city relationship between Calgary and Jaipur.
“[It has also] opened new doors, not only business and economic opportunities, but [it has] also [given] a better understanding of the similarities and the differences between Canadians and Indians and our own Indo-Canadian community,” he said.
The foundation has also stirred interest in the Bollywood community to film Indian movies in Calgary. As a result, the Indian movie Bekhudi was shot in Alberta.
Channan also sat as a member of the Assessment Appeal and Development Appeal boards with Rocky View County, and was the founder of the Rocky View Chamber of Commerce in 2011. Prior to that, he worked as chief controller of prosecutions for the City of Calgary’s law department from 1977 until 1996.
Carmen Cundy, AirdrieToday.com
Follow me on Twitter @carmenrcundy
