Chhot

Last updated
A Chhot boat with sails Chhot 17.jpg
A Chhot boat with sails

Chhot is a fishing boat, found in coastal water and coastal rivers of Bengal. [1] This boats was widely used by fishermen in the lower reaches of the Rupnarayan and Hooghly rivers. The boat is capable of sailing in coastal waters. [2]

Contents

Chhot boats were used for fishing as well as for transporting goods. However, the use of these boats is on the verge of extinction. [3] [4]

In 2022, Chhot boat building methods and techniques were documented. This documentation was completed by the Endangered Materials Knowledge Program (EMKP) funded by the British Museum. [5]

History

No information is available on the history of the Chhot boat. The Jhumjhumi was famous for building these boats. These boats were used for fishing as well as carrying cargo until the mid-20th century, but are now used exclusively for fishing. Boats were loaded with rice from rice mills around Kolaghat and delivered to the destination. These boats also used to tow Khorokisti carrying straw from remote areas of the Sundarbans to Kolkata.

Reconstruction and documentation

The specialty of this boat called "Chhot" is that the wooden hulls are joined with metal in such a way that the shape of the boat is like a 'V'. Helps to cut river water easily. So the entire process is being documented.

—Prof. John P. Cooper

A reconstruction project was undertaken under a collaborative project between the University of Exeter in the United Kingdom and the Central University of Haryana in India to document Chhot boat construction knowledge. [3] The reconstruction and documentation project is known as The chhot-builders of West Bengal, India: Documenting the vanishing craft knowledge of a unique boat-building tradition. [5] [6] [7] A documentary on the making of "Chhot" boats was produced jointly by India and the United Kingdom, with Endangered Materials Knowledge Program by the financial support of the British Museum. [8] [9] [10]

Chhot 1.jpg
Chhot 2.jpg
Left: The chief craftsman of the Chhot boat is (left to right) Panchanan Mondal and his associates are Dilip Mondal, Amal Mondal, Deepak Mondal and Manimohan Mondal, Right: Project Supervisors — (left to right) John P. Cooper, Zeeshan Ali Shaikh and Swarup Bhattacharya.

The construction work of Chhot was completed at Dihimandal Ghat at Shyampur, Howrah district, West Bengal. Panchanan Mandal was the main craftsman of this boat; Panchanan Mandal and his 4 sons built this almost defunct boat. The boat was built in about 40 days. All construction activities and procedures from start to finish of boat building are captured by videography, which has been preserved in a museum in England. On 10 November 2022, the boat made its first voyage. [4] A total of Rs 350,000 was spent on the construction of the boat. [4] [8]

Architecture

The design of a Chhot boat enables the boat to sail in coastal rivers and coastal waters. The hull of this boat is deep and pointed. The hull of the wooden boat is V-shaped, [4] which allows the boat to remain stable in the water even when buffeted by waves or wind. Due to its basically "V" shape, the boat is suitable for coastal waters. [3]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bay of Bengal</span> Northeastern part of the Indian Ocean

The Bay of Bengal is the northeastern part of the Indian Ocean. The world's largest bay, geographically it is positioned between the Indian subcontinent and the Indochinese peninsula, located below the Bengal region.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kolkata</span> Capital of West Bengal, India

Kolkata, also known as Calcutta, is the capital and largest city of the Indian state of West Bengal. It lies on the eastern bank of the Hooghly River, 80 km (50 mi) west of the border with Bangladesh. It is the primary financial and commercial centre of eastern and northeastern India. Kolkata is the seventh most populous city in India with an estimated city proper population of 4.5 million (0.45 crore) while its metropolitan region Kolkata Metropolitan Area is third most populous metropolitan region of India with a metro population of over 15 million. Kolkata is regarded by many sources as the cultural capital of India and a historically and culturally significant city in the historic region of Bengal. It is the second largest Bengali-speaking city in the world. It has the highest number of Nobel laureates among all cities in India.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Palk Strait</span> Strait between India and Sri Lanka

The Palk Strait is a strait between the Tamil Nadu state of India and the Jaffna District of the Northern Province of the island nation of Sri Lanka. It connects the Bay of Bengal in the northeast with Palk Bay in the southwest. It is 40 to 85 miles wide and 85 miles long. Several rivers flow into it, including the Vaigai River of Tamil Nadu. The strait is named after Robert Palk, who was a governor of Madras (1755–1763) during the Company Raj period.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ganges river dolphin</span> Species of toothed whale

The Ganges river dolphin is a species of freshwater dolphin classified in the family Platanistidae. It lives in the Ganges and related rivers of South Asia, namely in the countries of India, Nepal, and Bangladesh. It is related to the much smaller Indus river dolphin which lives in the Indus River in Pakistan and the Beas River of northwestern India.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Krishna district</span> District in Andhra Pradesh, India

Krishna district is a district in the coastal Andhra Region in Indian state of Andhra Pradesh, with Machilipatnam as its administrative headquarters. It is surrounded on the East by Bay of Bengal, West by Guntur, Bapatla and North by Eluru and NTR districts and South again by Bay of Bengal.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Karaikal</span> Town in Puducherry, India

Karaikal is a city of the Indian Union Territory of Puducherry. It is the administrative headquarters of the Karaikal District and the second most populated city in the Union Territory after Pondicherry. Located on the Coromandel Coast of Bay of Bengal in South India, it is a coastal enclave and is surrounded by the state of Tamil Nadu in the southern region of Indian peninsula.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Howrah</span> Metropolis in West Bengal

Howrah is an important city of Kolkata Metropolis in the Indian state of West Bengal. Howrah is located on the western bank of the Hooghly River, opposite its twin city of Kolkata. Administratively Howrah city lies within Howrah district and is the headquarters of the Howrah Sadar subdivision. Howrah city also falls under Kolkata Metropolitan Development Authority. Howrah station is an famous transportation hub and also a gateway to Kolkata’s oldest CBD viia Kolkata Metro Rail’s Green line and Howrah Bridge. Howrah Rail Junction is the largest railway station of India and it is extensively connected to every part of India.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hooghly River</span> Distributary of the Ganges River in India

The Hooghly River or popularly called Ganga or Kati-Ganga in the Puranas, is a river that rises close to Giria, which lies north of Baharampur and Palashi in Murshidabad. It is the western distributary of the Ganges. The main course of the Ganges then flows into Bangladesh as the Padma. A man-made canal, built in the 1960s and early-1970s at Farakka, connects the Ganges, flowing through Malda, to the Hooghly to bring the abundant waters of the Himalayan river to the comparatively narrow river that rises in eastern West Bengal.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">West Godavari district</span> District of Andhra Pradesh in India

The West Godavari district is a coastal district in the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh with an administrative headquarters in Bhimavaram. As of the 2011 Census of India, the district has an area of 2,178 km2 (841 sq mi) and a population of 1,779,935. It is bounded by the Krishna district and Bay of Bengal to the south, East Godavari district to the east, and Eluru district, Kolleru Lake and Upputeru Drain to the northwest.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Howrah Bridge</span> Steel bridge in Kolkata, India

The Howrah Bridge is a balanced steel bridge over the Hooghly River in West Bengal, India. Commissioned in 1943, the bridge was originally named the New Howrah Bridge, because it replaced a pontoon bridge at the same location linking the twin cities of Howrah and Kolkata, which are located at the opposite banks of each other. On 14 June 1965, it was renamed Rabindra Setu after the Bengali poet Rabindranath Tagore, who was the first Indian and Asian Nobel laureate. It is still popularly known as the Howrah Bridge.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Howrah railway station</span> Railway station in Howrah, West Bengal, India

Howrah railway station is a railway station located in the city of Howrah, West Bengal, India. It is the largest and busiest railway complex in India as well as one of the busiest and largest train stations in the world. It is also the oldest surviving railway station complex in India. Howrah is one of six intercity train stations serving the Kolkata metropolitan area, the others being Sealdah, Dankuni, Santragachi, Shalimar and Kolkata railway station.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kolkata Metro</span> Rapid transit system in Kolkata, India

The Kolkata Metro is a rapid transit system serving the city of Kolkata and the Kolkata Metropolitan Region in West Bengal, India. Opening in 1984, it was the first operational rapid transit system in India, besides being the second busiest and fourth-longest metro network in India. As of March 2024, it has four operational lines: the 32.13 km (19.96 mi) Line 1 from Dakshineswar to Kavi Subhash, 14.1 km (8.8 mi) Line 2 from Salt Lake Sector V to Howrah Maidan, 7.75 km (4.82 mi) Line 3 from Joka to Majerhat and 5.4 km (3.4 mi) Line 6 from Kavi Subhash to Hemanta Mukherjee for a total of 59.38 km (36.90 mi). Two other lines are in various phases of construction and planning. The system has a mix of underground, at-grade, and elevated stations using both broad-gauge and standard-gauge tracks. Trains operate between 06:55 and 22:30 IST and the fares range from ₹5 to ₹50.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mamata Banerjee</span> Chief Minister of West Bengal, India

Mamata Banerjee is an Indian politician who is serving as the eighth and current chief minister of the Indian state of West Bengal since 20 May 2011, the first woman to hold the office. Having served multiple times as a Union Cabinet Minister, Mamata Banerjee became the Chief Minister of West Bengal for the first time in 2011. She founded the All India Trinamool Congress in 1998 after separating from the Indian National Congress, and became its second chairperson later in 2001. She is often referred to as Didi.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Prakasam district</span> District of Andhra Pradesh in India

Prakasamdistrict is one of the twelve districts in the coastal Andhra region of the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. It was formed in 1970 and reorganised on 4 April 2022. The headquarters of the district is Ongole. It is located on the western shore of Bay of Bengal and is bounded by Bapatla district and Palnadu districts in the north, Nandyal district in the west, Kadapa and Nellore districts in the south. A part of north west region also borders with Nagarkurnool district of Telangana. It is the largest district in the state with an area of 14,322 km2 (5,530 sq mi) and had a population of 22,88,026 as per 2011 Census of India.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Digha</span> Seaside resort town in West Bengal, India

Digha is a seaside resort town in the state of West Bengal, India. It lies in Purba Medinipur district and at the northern end of the Bay of Bengal. It has a low gradient with a shallow sand beach. It is a popular sea resort in West Bengal.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fishing in India</span> Major industry employing 14.5 million people

Fishing in India is a major sector within the economy of India contributing 1.07% of its total GDP. The fishing sector in India supports the livelihood of over 28 million people in the country, especially within the marginalized and vulnerable communities. India is the third largest fish producing country in the world accounting for 7.96% of the global production and second largest producer of fish through aquaculture, after China. The total fish production during the FY 2020-21 is estimated at 14.73 million metric tonnes. According to the National Fisheries Development Board the Fisheries Industry generates an export earnings of Rs 334.41 billion. Centrally sponsored schemes will increase exports by Rs 1 lakh crore in FY25. 65,000 fishermen have been trained under these schemes from 2017 to 2020. Freshwater fishing consists of 55% of total fish production.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kolkata Metro Line 2</span> Transit line in Kolkata, India

Kolkata Metro Line 2, also known as the East-West Metro and Green Line, is a rapid transit line of the Kolkata Metro in the Indian state of West Bengal. It currently consists of two distinctly operational sections between Salt Lake Sector-V and Sealdah, and Esplanade and Howrah Maidan by going underneath the Hooghly River, with an eastern extension planned for Teghoria. It will cover a distance of 32.11 km (19.95 mi) and consist of 17 stations from Teghoria (Haldiram) in the east to Howrah Maidan in the west, of which it will consist of 11 elevated and 6 underground stations, and the operational section consists of 6 elevated and 6 underground stations, with a total distance of 22 km (14 mi). It is expected to derive a very high ridership, since it will connect India's two largest commuter railway and long-distance railway terminals, Howrah and Sealdah, along with two of its largest business districts, BBD Bagh and Salt Lake Sector V. At present, more than 100,000 passengers commute through the line every day, and this figure is expected to go up to 1 million after it gets fully completed by 2035. It will also connect the industrial hub of Kolkata, i.e., Howrah and the IT hub of Kolkata, i.e., Salt Lake Sector-V. It connects Line 1 at Esplanade and will eventually connect Lines 3 and 6.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tourism in West Bengal</span>

West Bengal is a state in the eastern region of India and is the nation's fourth-most populous state. The state capital is Kolkata. The state encompasses two broad natural regions: the Gangetic Plain in the south and the sub-Himalayan and Himalayan area in the north. The tourism in West Bengal is maintained by WBTDCL, a state government owned enterprise.

Hooghly Cochin Shipyard Limited is a shipyard at Howrah, India. The company has two units located at Salkia and Nazirganj on the bank of River Hooghly in the city of Howrah. It manufactures various types of vessels, dredgers, floating drydock, oil pollution control vessels, passenger vessels, etc.

Boat Museum is a public museum that is solely dedicated to the documentation of the history of boats in the Bengal region. Located in the Institute of Cultural Research in Kankurgachi, Kolkata, the museum is a rare initiative that aims to preserve the memories of Bengal's riverine past. The museum has been referred to as India's first museum dedicated to understanding boats, indigenous boat-making, and their heritage. Adjacent to the Boat Museum is the Puppet Museum, Kantha Museum, and a collection of tribal artefacts.

References

  1. Bhattacharyya, Swarup (2 June 2023). "History of the chhot boat". Frontline. The Hindu Group. Retrieved 26 December 2023.
  2. Rangan Datta. "Chhot', a lost boat of Bengal" . Retrieved 19 September 2024.
  3. 1 2 3 Mitra, Saheli (17 February 2023). "Bengal's century-old Chhot boat technique to be preserved in the British Museum". Get Bengal. Retrieved 26 December 2023.
  4. 1 2 3 4 Basu, Ansuya (11 November 2022). "Built from scratch, 'Chhot' boat sets sail in Roopnarayan". Telegraph India. The Telegraph (India). Retrieved 26 December 2023.
  5. 1 2 "The chhot-builders of West Bengal, India: Documenting the vanishing craft knowledge of a unique boat-building tradition". www.emkp.org. Endangered Materials Knowledge Program. 12 August 2022. Retrieved 26 December 2023.
  6. Chattopadhyay, Suhrid Sankar (2 June 2023). "Chhot boats: A Bengali tradition runs aground". Frontline. The Hindu Group. Retrieved 26 December 2023.
  7. Singh, Shiv Sahay (22 April 2023). "Buoyant history afloat on a neglected boat in Bengal". The Hindu. Howrah/Kolkata: The Hindu Group. Retrieved 26 December 2023.
  8. 1 2 Ghosh, Soumbrata (5 November 2022). "তৈরি হচ্ছে ভারতীয় মাছ ধরার প্রাচীন ছোট নৌকা!". News18 Bangla. News18. Retrieved 26 December 2023.
  9. "Chhot boat for archival project lies in ruins". Telegraph India. The Telegraph (India). 17 May 2023. Retrieved 26 December 2023.
  10. Majhi, Suman (4 November 2022). "হারানো শিল্প টিকিয়ে রাখতে উদ্যোগ! বানানো হচ্ছে মাছ ধরার নৌকা তৈরির ভিডিয়ো, থাকবে ব্রিটিশ মিউজিয়ামে". Eisamay (in Bengali). Retrieved 26 December 2023.