দাঁড়িয়ে আছ তুমি আমার গানের ও পারে–
আমার সুরগুলি পায় চরণ, আমি পাই নে তোমারে।।
বাতাস বহে মরি মরি, আর বেঁধে রেখো না তরী–
এসো এসো পার হয়ে মোর হৃদয়মাঝারে।।
তোমার সাথে গানের খেলা দূরের খেলা যে,
বেদনাতে বাঁশি বাজায় সকল বেলা যে।
কবে নিয়ে আমার বাঁশি বাজাবে গো আপনি আসি
আনন্দময় নীরব রাতের নিবিড় আঁধারে।।

-রবীন্দ্রনাথ ঠাকুর

পূজা পর্যায়

----------------------------------------

খেলার ছলে সাজিয়ে আমার গানের বাণী
দিনে দিনে ভাসাই দিনের তরীখানি।।
স্রোতের লীলায় ভেসে ভেসে সুদূরে কোন্‌ অচিন দেশে
কোনো ঘাটে ঠেকবে কিনা নাহি জানি।।
নাহয় ডুবে গেলই, নাহয় গেলই বা।
নাহয় তুলে লও গো, নাহয় ফেলোই বা।
হে অজানা, মরি মরি, উদ্দেশে এই খেলা করি,
এই খেলাতেই আপন-মনে ধন্য মানি।।

-রবীন্দ্রনাথ ঠাকুর

পূজা পর্যায়

---------------------------------- 

আমি   মারের সাগর পাড়ি দেব বিষম ঝড়ের বায়ে
আমার  ভয়ভাঙা এই নায়ে।।
মাভৈঃবাণীর ভরসা নিয়ে  ছেঁড়া পালে বুক ফুলিয়ে
তোমার  ওই পারেতেই যাবে তরী ছায়াবটের ছায়ে।।
পথ আমারে সেই দেখাবে যে আমারে চায়–
আমি   অভয় মনে ছাড়ব তরী, এই শুধু মোর দায়।
দিন ফুরালে, জানি জানি,  পৌঁছে ঘাটে দেব আনি
আমার  দু:খদিনের রক্তকমল তোমার করুণ পায়।। 

-রবীন্দ্রনাথ ঠাকুর
পূজা পর্যায়
 

Appeal to all

Noukoghar appeals to you to collect information (from book, newspaper, internet or oral or from any other source) on boat (stick to the traditional boat- not metal or fibreglass or plastic or rubber boat). Collect photographs. Gather songs, poems or novels on boat. 

These information can be an asset to our Noukoghar. 

Send photographs of boat and boat related activities taken by you or others. Please do not forget to mention the name of the photographer time and place. Noukoghar will portray your findings with utmost care and proper acknowledgment.

Communicate:

noukoghar@gmail.com

+91 9433900712

Boat Model of Kosha

Boat model made of Board and paper. 

Longevity: at least 50 years (you and your next generation can see it as it is)

Size: vary from 3 inches to 30 inches (as per your own requirements).

Boatlovers can keep a boat model on their desk and can use it as an invaluable item of gift. 

For procuring contact noukoghar@gmail.com or call at +91 9433900712 

 

"Chokh" oculus of Boat: Boat as a living entity.

Even though boat is nothing but a mere product of man’s handicraft which may always be connected in his collection of inanimate possessions, but in reality SHE means much more to her owner/boatmaker/boatman. Almost in all over the world a vessel is personified, which is very much understandable when it is seen that a Portuguese boat along with the boats and vessels cruising along the Indian Ocean have oculi i.e. the symbolic representation of eye. These types of symbols are usually used to give living characters to a nonliving material as these are very much allied to human (any animal) morphology. Considering the example of West Bengal nothing absolutely reverse, in the basic concept, is seen as the boat here is considered to be either a mother or a daughter that ultimately represents the feminine personality. Therefore most often, it is seen that boats are given names and are treated as human personalities. This curious relation is becoming less apparent day by day, but it is still there, even if it no longer exists on the surface of seaman’s mind. To understand the origin and development of this concept it is necessary to go into the past and probe deed down into the minds of the ancient boatmen.

Kobir er kathamato. "JALOJATRA"

Journey to 2010

Khoro Kisti

Specially meant for carrying straw from Sundarbans to Kolkata propelled by sail and oar.

The Khorokisti, a meticulously constructed straw-carrying vessel native to Bengal, measures fifty haat (with one haat equivalent to 1.5 feet) in length and fifteen haat in width. This shallow-draft boat was traditionally used to traverse the waters from Geonkhali in the Medinipur district to Sundarban. Its primary function was to load between three hundred and fifty to four hundred kahon (a local unit for measuring straw) and unload it in various regions of Kolkata. The boat's construction is entirely reliant on nailing and is propelled by a lug sail, featuring a rectangular stern post rudder. When fully loaded, the Khorokisti couldn't move on its own, hence a smaller boat named Chhot would tow it. Over time, the Chhot was replaced by a motorized launch. Unfortunately, these distinctive boats are no longer found in Bengal.

Dingi

Dingi of Balagarh, Hugli. Balagarh- the commercial boat building centre. 

Salti (Khoro Salti)

Carry straw in creeks of South Twenty Four Parganas.

Jale Dingi

Jele Dingi: Fishing boat of the Ganges.

Sultani

Sultani: Popularly this boat is known as medinipuri bot (boat of Medinipur). It is used mainly to carry cargo of wide range like sand, brick, tiles, watermelon etc. Sultani built following the skeleton first technique. Its concentration is mainly found in the regions of tidal rivers. It has double ends with both stem and stern posts. In West Bengal it is the only boat with both stem and stern posts. Though it has oarsmen to row but it mainly depends on wind and sail (lug sail). This Medinipuri boat traverses the entire region of Sundarbans.

Dungi of Subarnarekha

In Subarnarekha river of Bengal this type of boat is common for fishing. Boat users termed it as Dunga.

Boat Race of Bengal

Baich: Boat race of Bengal is a popular festival in Bengal. Murshidabad, Nadia, North Twenty Four Parganas and South Twenty Four Parganas are the four districts of West Bengal where Boat race festival takes place. These are the bordering districts, adjacent to Bangladesh. And if we consider the boat race people then it will portray that after partition, minority Hindu people migrated to Indian territory and settled in those districts. They were uprooted but introduced their deep-rooted water sport in their new land.

Plantain raft

-->Kalar Bhaela, the plantain raft: three to four plantain trunks are used to construct such type of watercraft, found mainly in Kochbihar, Jalpaiguri, North and South Dinajpur, Malda, Murshidabad, Nodia, North and South 24 Parganas.Utilities: these watercraft widely use in rural Bengal in flood.

Malo Bachhari

Malo Bachhari, a fishing boat of Sundarbans. Length 28 to 32 haat. Bachhari is the typological variation used by the Malo fishing community

Tabure on a Sprit Sail

Glimpse of Bengal

Rivers, canals, streams, lakes, bills and other waterbodies form an important source of cheap transportation. This is specially so in West Bengal, where there are numerous waterbodies. There are about 3000 km. of navigable waterways in the state, of which 300 kms. are canals (Bose 1964). Besides during the rainy season many more stretches of rivers become navigable by watercraft. At many places in West Bengal the river transport system is considered to be more important than the bullock carts, like in the Sundarbans, the former has totally replaced the latter due to topographical demand of the land.

The Sankosh, The Raidak, The Kalindi, The Torsa, The Jaldhaka, The Tista, The Mahananda, The Tangan, The Purnabhaba, The Atrai, The Gomor, The Ganga, The Bhagirathi/Hugli, The Mayurakshi, The Bramhani, The Dwaraka, The Bakreswar, The Kopai, The Ajay, The Damodar, The Sraswati, The Rupnarayan, The Kangasabati/Kasai, The Rasulpur, The Subarnorekha, The Jalogi, The Mathabhanga, The Bhairab, The Ichhamati, The Matla, The Muriganga/Buriganga, The Raimongal and so on, are the major rivers of West Bengal.

Patia

Patia: admixture of Clinker and reverse clinker technology. Coastal fishing boat. 18 feet minimum length.

Striking Feature: Planking technology is just reverse of Viking Ship technology (8th to 11th Century).

Patia is a "Living Boat" can be traced since 11th Century AD till today with little modification.

"Bali Tolar Nouko" of Balagarh

Balagarh in Hugli district of West Bengal, a traditional boat building centre. Smooth Skinned, rabbeted and stapled boat build in shell first method. Length 40 haat (60 feet). width 10 haat (15 feet).

Material:

Wood: Babla (Acacia arabica), Khirish, Sirish, Arjun (Terminalia arjuna)

At least 25 karkhana (boat building sheds) is woring under the shed of bamboo grove and mango orchard.

Rajbangshi Para is the key centre of this activity. Boat makers are mainly from Rajbansgi community (fisherfolk). 

More than 500  people are actively associated with Boat Building activity.

 

Float

Watercraft (Boat): concept development

Banana trunk used as float.

Snapped in Sundarbans, West Bengal in 2003