Balagarh’s shrinking boat-making industry may get GI tag soon
Kolkata: Boat-making industry in Hooghly’s Balagarh which has been shrinking for a few decades may again get the attention as a research team has initiated processes to get a GI tag for it.
Pinak Ghosh, who heads a research team, visited the areas where the boat industry still thrives and collected valuable data.
In the next step, the researchers started working to find information related to the oral heritage of this boat craft. In future, if Balagarh’s boat industry gets the GI tag, the marine artisans associated with this industry will benefit a lot economically.
Partha Chattopadhyay, a professor from Balagarh, has fully supported the researchers in this work by providing research data.
Balaghar units mostly make three types of boats — for sand-loading, fishing and ferrying passengers. The woods used mostly include Sal, Teak, Khaya Anthotheca (Mahogany), Indian Acacia, Madras Thorn, and Lebbeck. The price of the boat depends on the quality of the wood. The 10-hand-sized boat is priced at Rs 15, 000 while a 12-hand-sized boat of Indian Acacia would cost Rs 16,000 to Rs 18,000. It will last at least 7 to 8 years.
Some claim that as per historical records, Islam Khan Chisti (1570 – 1513), a Mughal general and the Subedar of Bengal used boats for both trade and warfare. He had also built a guard station (chowki) at Sripur.
“I have seen the industry shrinking in the last two decades. From 44 units, the number is down to just 14 today. The younger generation is not interested in continuing the craft because of low sales, hard work involved and lack of financial returns,” a local businessman.
A senior official of Nau Shilpa Balagarh said: “The boat-making industry doesn’t have any certified documents but I’ve heard from my father that it goes back many centuries.”
The buyers comprise mostly poor fishermen, who also have limited means of investing in boats. The industry is now struggling because loans are not available and workers don’t have any social security.
Those involved in the business are hopeful as many more traditional arts of Bengal have already received GI certification.
The first of Bengal’s handicrafts to get a GI tag was the ‘nakshi kantha’ in 2008. Tight stitches run together to create tales in a thread. From traditional flora and fauna-inspired motifs to scenes from rural life, and even stories are found stitched into fabric in this handicraft, mainly practised in Birbhum.
In 2008, accreditation was also given to the leather goods of Santiniketan. Baluchari and Dhaniakhali
Saree are among many others that received GI tag.
