A native shipwright’s dream to craft a masterpiece for his own country came to fruition when the Indian Navy’s pioneering stitched sailing vessel, INSV Kaundinya, embarked on her maiden voyage from Porbandar to Oman on December 29, 2025. Babu Sankaran, a 61-year-old carpenter from Kozhikode district’s Vadakara, was the craftsman behind the sailing mission, which was completed on time with the support of a team of 20 carpenters from the Malabar region.
“It was a dream come true when we got the call from the Navy officials to realise Kaundinya, marking a rare confluence of craftsmanship, history and modern naval expertise. The work began in December 2023, entirely using the traditional stitched-plank techniques,” recalled Mr. Sankaran, the master shipwright. He said the wooden planks used for the 19.6-metre-long ship were stitched together using coconut coir rope and sealed with natural resins, preserving the dexterity of the once prevalent tradition along India’s coasts and across the Indian Ocean.
The view of the sailing vessel in the initial days of its making at a shipyard in Goa. | Photo Credit: SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT
This Vadakara native, who had been part of six such prominent projects in different parts of India and abroad, said the whole carpenters’ team from Malabar camped at a shipyard in Goa to ensure the time-bound completion of the project supervised by Navy officers. He said the team was able to finish it in 16 months with a dedicated labour force.
