Architecture for the sea The Shipbuilding craft of Mandvi, Gujarat
Amlanjyoti Bora
Dedicated to the people of Mandvi.
Architecture for the sea : A photographic documentation of the hard
work, patience and the intricacy of the craft that involves in the age old shipbulding industry of Mandvi, Gujarat. Photographed, compiled and edited by Amlanjyoti Bora for his Design Project 01, Photography Design (2016), Semester 02, NID Gandhinagar.
Architecture for the sea Photographed, compiled and edited by : Amlanjyoti Bora Copyright Š 2017 Amlanjyoti Bora
All rights reserved. This book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the Author except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.
Mentored by
: Rishi Singhal
Coordinator, Photography Design, NID Gandhinagar
Sathyanand Mohan
Associate Senior Faculty, Photography Design, NID Gandhinagar
Content edited by
: Tanvi Gupta
Special thanks to
: Srinivas Kuruganti
This work was partly funded by the Living Waters Museum, a project supported by WaterAid India.
They are working on the land, touching the sky and aim to the sea to conquer. The age-old wooden ship-building industry of Mandvi is an example of extreme strength & handicraft skill, which is still there in the age of industrialisation. The craft is still surviving because of their strong will and the respect they have for it.
Introduction Mandvi is a city and a municipality in the Kutch district of Gujarat. It is an important port city of the region, which has been founded as a port town by Rao Khengarji I, King of Kutch, in the late 16th century. The city has more than four hundred year old ship building industry that still manufactures ships. In 18th century, the Mandvi merchants collectively owned a fleet of 400 vessels trading with East Africa, Malabar Coast and the Persian Gulf. In the early 19th century, it was a major port of entry for the inland trade with Malwa, Marwar and Sindh. Mandvi back in the days, was a rich and prosperous town, earning four times more revenue from export than import. The sea is a lifeline to the existence of this craft while Rukmoni river plays an important role. For hundreds of years, the craftsmen have been using hand tools and ancient techniques to built the ships on the riverbanks in Mandvi. In present times, they are using modern equipment with the traditional tools. A senior craftsman is leading each project, engineering construction, according to a plan that he may sketch out or simply carry in his head. The process involves a lot of precision and hard work; and it takes almost two to three years to finish one ship. The people are very particular about their safety while working. Although they hardly use any protective gears but they follow the basic set of rules to minimise the risks. Locally the ships are knows as Vahans and their capacities range from 500 to 1500 tones; and sometimes even more than that. During high tide the kids capture fish and crabs on the riverbanks, that they either sell or eat while elders use boats to go deep into the ocean for fishing. The river also provides a natural habitat to a large number of birds and other aquatic animals. The people from Kutchi (those who belongs to Kutch) community have been involved in the ship making process, but people from other parts of Gujarat are also working with them. Another community “Kharva” also spelt “Kharwa” which was used to identify as the ones who made their living from sea are also working with them. Most of the people are living in a nearby village called Salaya. A happy realisation struck me during my stay in Mandvi that it was truly a blessing to have encountered the art of ship-making and amazing people. The craftsmen had a certain energy and looked forward to their work, and were very friendly even though there exists a language barrier. They helped me a lot during the course of my project in context of energy and the sincerity towards the work. While I was taking photographs in and around the ship-making sites, they were making sure that I wasn’t hurt and were protective of me. These people are the trailblazers of this craft in the future; and it is truly an amazing and insightful experience to have learnt about the craft of ship-making. The objective of the project is to document the hard work, patience and the intricacy of the craft that involves creating the giants. An emphasis is also put to highlight the environment in which they are working and the lifestyle around it.
Architecture for the sea The Shipbuilding craft of Mandvi, Gujarat Photographed, compiled and edited by : Amlanjyoti Bora Copyright Š 2017 Amlanjyoti Bora