PI: John P Cooper | Collaborators: Zeeshan Alli Shaikh | Project ID: 2022SG04
Location of Research: West Bengal, India| Host Institution: University of Exeter
The chhot is a type of fishing boat traditional to West Bengal’s Rupnarayan and Hugli estuaries, with a former range throughout the coastal Bay of Bengal and as far south as Balasore. It is known colloquially as the ‘ruler of the waves’ for its superior handling in estuarine conditions and its ability to tow smaller khoro vessels. Infrastructure projects upstream of their native estuaries (notably in Kolkata) have led to changes in the sedimentation regime, giving rise to more placid conditions. As a result, fishers have begun deploying round-bottom dingi instead, which permit a wider range of fishing techniques. Only a few ‘rulers of the waves’ remain following this transition.
Chhot represent a unique form of boatbuilding in Bengal that has little documentation to date. Its traditional fixing involves securing the planks, keel, and posts with steel staples and interlocking joinery. Moreover, it uses a ‘shell-conceived’ approach, wherein hull planks are completed before inserting the timber frame. These techniques were demonstrated over the course of a month—October to November 2022—by the Modal family of artisanal boatbuilders in Dihimandalghat, Hawrah district, West Bengal, India. Master boatbuilder Amol Modal directed the build, with insights from his father Panchanan Mondal and assistance from his brothers Manimohan, Dilip, and Dipak.
Methodology
The project records chhot construction from the initial propitiatory rituals through the maiden voyage, combining video, photo, diagrams, 3D photogrammetry, and textual accounts to capture the methods in unprecedented detail. A documentary film entitled “The Endangered Chhot” (asset 2022SG04-D01-1462) and a the build diary (asset 2022SG04-D01-1439) capture the overall narrative of the build. EMKP project funding financed the construction of the chhot as a conventional commission. As such, data-gathering was done in real time following the construction process. The completed chhot is set to be accessioned by the National Maritime Heritage Complex (NMHC) in Lothal, Gujarat.
The vast majority of data-collecting took place at the temporary build site (22°16’51.30″N; 87°57’37.73″E), on the northern edge of the Amberia football ground, to the south of Dihimandalghat village. Other data was collected during brief excursions, for example to the forge of nail-maker Mr Raju Rana in Myachar, to the sawmill at Belpukur, and to the market and Bargabhima Kali temple at Tamluk.
Documentary film, “The Endangered Chhot”
Selected Assets
These assets provide an sample of the project’s various chapters.
Portraits
Timbers & trees
Shaping timbers
Making the sail
Rituals
Interviews
Technical documentation
Tools
Caulking the hull
Sailing
Acknowledgements
This project’s success is indebted to Dr. Swarup Bhattacharyya, an independent scholar who made significant contributions to the documentation and translation, as well as the Mondal family whose generational expertise was the foundation of this endeavor.
Institutional support for this project was provided by the Faculty of Humanities & Social Sciences of the University of Exeter (UK), while the Central University of Haryana, India, provided support in securing the necessary permissions. The researchers are grateful to the people of Dihimandalghat village, Hawrah, West Bengal, for their welcome and forbearance during the recording of the chhot-boat build, and to the local authorities of the district for their support.