New innovation and technologies are often regarded with suspicion, curiosity, and amazement. 

India, specifically Kolkata, witnessed the introduction of a groundbreaking innovation 147 years ago— the light bulb. When the light bulb first became functional in the city of Kolkata in 1879, as the first electric streetlights dotted the streets of the city, locals flocked nearby witnessing the innovation with a mix of fear and awe. 

Describing them as the ‘burning of a ghost,’ the people saw the burning of lights as a thing of supernatural occurrence. During the 1880s, such instances became commonplace in Kolkata, as people at the time warned against getting too close to the lights amid fears they were the eyes of a ghost. The burning light bulbs became another tactic utilized by mothers to spook their children, cautioning against looking at them surmising that doing so would lead to supernatural consequences.

Towards the end of the 19th century, when lightbulbs made their advent in India, it was marked by both awe and fear. Earlier, Kolkata’s street lights were gas-operated lamps, meaning they were powered by coal-gas. By 1857, gas lamp posts dotted the city’s major streets. Gas lamps were gradually phased out, however, as electric street lamps made their arrival. For some time, Kolkata had both gas and electric street lights, placing the city into the ranks of the few global regions who were uniquely illuminated in this manner. 

In 1905, when the Bombay Electric Supply Company first lit electric light bulbs in Mumbai (Bombay), people were amazed, believing that the British had somehow trapped fire inside the small glass globe. Curious observers moved to warm their hands by cupping them around the light bulb, but to no avail, getting surprised by the lack of heat from the ‘fire.’

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The village folks took on the technology with much more resistance. Electric poles that were erected to transmit electricity were thought to drain the soil of its fertility. Rumours quickly spread that the poles could capture souls or make the land impure. When electricity began reaching rural areas, many villagers reacted with suspicion and fear. While most villages received electricity much later, some areas witnessed the early installation of poles, which were often met with hostility. Farmers, believing the “iron rods” would suck away the soil’s fertility, uprooted them from their fields.

In several villages, poles were removed under the cover of darkness. Rumours also claimed that the British were using these poles to “capture and take away souls” or that erecting them would defile the sacred land.

When electricity reached Bihar in the 1920s, people were filled with fear and suspicion towards electric wires. Many referred to them as “an invisible snake” running through them. Children would often run quickly under the wires to avoid being “bitten” by this supposed snake.

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Villagers and townspeople believed electricity was a supernatural power descending from the sky. The glowing bulb was commonly called a “ghost’s eye” or “jinn’s lamp,” and many feared that the fire inside it could suddenly explode.

When electric ceiling fans were introduced in Calcutta (now Kolkata) in 1902, they created quite a sensation in wealthy homes and offices. People gazed at the spinning blades in amazement and fear. Their anxiety increased when the fans slowed down. Many refused to sit directly beneath them, while servants worried that the rotating blades might suddenly fall and cause injury.

The fear surrounding electricity grew even stronger after a worker died from an electric shock. Newspapers reported the incident dramatically, calling it an “electricity outbreak.”

India’s First Power Station

The foundation of electricity generation in India was laid in the late 19th century. The country’s first power station was set up in Kolkata in 1882 by the Calcutta Electric Supply Corporation (CESC). Operating on direct current (DC), it initially had the capacity to light up around 1,300 bulbs.

Electricity was first used in India on July 24, 1879, by the Indian Jute Mills Company on the banks of the Hooghly River to run machinery in its factories.

Formal public electricity supply in Kolkata began on August 15, 1889, from Metcalfe Hall, primarily for street lighting. The establishment of the Camac Street Power Station in 1899 by Kilburn and Company, along with the efforts of British engineers and the Calcutta Electric Supply Corporation (CESC), played a vital role in expanding electricity across the city.

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