Conceived from Ajanta’s walls, Kaundinya on voyage of defiance to Muscat

Panaji: The Kaundinya pitches and rolls at 30-degree angles. The helmsmen work brutal four-hour shifts, wrestling steering oars that seem determined to fling them into the sea. When the wind dies, which it does with maddening frequency, the crew drifts aimlessly on glassy, flat waters.For two weeks, since they set sail from Porbandar on Dec 29 on a 20-metre wooden yacht stitched with hands, the 16-member crew skippered by Commander Vikas Sheoran has been on a learning curve that no maritime museum ever could teach them.They have crossed more than two-thirds of their journey and the Kaundinya is set to arrive at Muscat around Jan 15, reliving the ancient trade routes between India and Oman.The expedition has been a meteorological chess match. Westerly winds blew them back to Gujarat. A northeasterly wind blew them forward but died out into dead calm. In ideal conditions the ship can do 4-5 knots, but it mostly does 2 knots.When strong northeasterly winds finally cooperated, the ship briefly hit 6 knots, transforming the nautical cliche of ‘fair winds and following seas’ into reality.Ahead lies a challenge their ancient predecessors never faced: Navigating a corridor busy with oil tankers and container vessels in a small wooden ship that moves at the speed of a leisurely bicycle.There are no cabins, just a dark hold crammed with supply boxes where the crew takes turns sleeping when the Arabian Sea gets too violent for their deck-side sleeping bags.Yet there are moments of startling beauty that make the hardship fade on this audacious expedition that the Navy has taken up. One night, the crew threw buckets of seawater, triggering an explosion of bioluminescent phytoplankton, nature’s own fireworks display.They have also encountered a Pakistani reconnaissance vessel, in search of an Indian naval warship that returned bewildered, much to the amusement of the crew.Fresh water is rationed to 4.5 litre per person daily, covering drinking, cooking, and washing. The vegetables lasted six days; now it’s Gujarati thepla with mango pickle, pre-made military rations from DRDO, and whatever fish they can catch. So far, the colorful Mahi-Mahi swimming alongside have proven frustratingly elusive.The idea of sailing a ship may appear romantic but unlike modern yachts, the Kaundinya does not have a deep keel and tends to drift off course or roll sideways, leading to severe seasickness. “It is a huge psychological challenge,” says a crew member.“The experience of sailing INSV Kaundinya is completely different from a motorised boat or even a modern sailing ship. Our square sails allow us to sail in only certain directions. The 1,600-year-old design does have its challenges, and one needs to specifically learn its handling characteristics,” says Sanjeev Sanyal.Sanyal, a member of the PM’s Economic Advisory Council, came up with the idea of stitching together a wooden ship without a single nail from an Ajanta cave painting. Onboard with Sanyal is Commander Y Hemanth Kumar, a naval architect and the officer in charge of the expedition.“A sleeping bag sliding around on the deck, cold winds and noise of rigging angrily fluttering is not conducive to sleep,” Sanyal writes in his log on X.So far, the Kaundinya has proven seaworthy, vindicating the expertise of Divar’s shipyard, Hodi Innovations, and the team of skilled artisans from Kerala who stitched the ship.