INSV Kaundinya is reliving India’s ancient maritime past. Sailing from Porbandar on December 29, the hand-stitched 20-metre wooden vessel, with a 16-member crew is battling shifting winds, slow speeds, seasickness on its way to Oman. With no cabins, rationed water, limited food and square sails that restrict manoeuvrability, the journey has become a test of endurance and seamanship. Yet amid drifting calms, rolling seas and modern shipping lanes, the ship has proved the 1,600-year-old design seaworthy and offering a rare, living lesson in how India’s ancient sailors once conquered the seas.
