The traditional boat industry of Satkhira gets a new lease of life with the arrival of the monsoon. The sound of hammers on the boats in the Patkelghata region seems to indicate that an old culture has been revived in sync with the public life floating in the waterlogging.
Most areas of the district were submerged during the rainy season.
From village to village, from beel to field—boats were the only means of transportation. Working in the fish pens, fishing in the canals, or navigating the waterways—boats were needed for everything. As a result, many small and large factories for making wooden boats sprang up in Patkelghata, Tala Upazila of Satkhira.
If you go to Patkelghata, about 15 kilometers from the district town, you will come across six factories, where the sound of saws and hammers on wood begins in the morning. The entire area seems to be enveloped in the smell of tar. Each factory is like an industrial workshop, where the important means of life - boats - are being manufactured.
"I have been making boats for 50 years," said 65-year-old craftsman Marjan Gazi. "Even though the river has dried up, the demand has not dried up. In fact, we are having to make more boats than before because of the heavy monsoon this year."
Various types of boats, including trawlers, sailboats, koshas and dinghies, are made here. These boats, made of mahogany, khoi and chambal wood, are bought by traders from Satkhira, Khulna and even other districts of the country. It takes two craftsmen two days to make each medium-sized boat. The price ranges from Tk 15,000 to 45,000.
Sahadat Hossain, a fish farmer from Satkhira Sadar who came to buy a boat, said, "The area was submerged in water due to the rains earlier. To enter the fish enclosure, you need a boat. So I was forced to come and buy one."
However, the profit calculation in this industry is not very pleasing. Sheikh Anwar Hossain, owner of 'Ms. Oishee' boat factory, said, "Whatever profit is made is purely out of love. The prices of wood, nails, pitch—everything has increased. There is not much left to pay the workers' salaries and rent."
Zakir Hossain, owner of 'Sumi Furniture and Boat Factory', and Aktaruzzaman Biswas, owner of 'Tayeba Boat Factory', shared such experiences. In their words, "Boating is not our profession, it is our identity."
Abdul Latif Sardar, general secretary of the Patkelghata Market Management Committee, said, "Many local families depend on this industry. If the government provides a little support, young entrepreneurs will also be able to come forward."
Reminiscing about his childhood, Satkhira's prominent poet and writer Paltu Bashar said, "If there is an opportunity for government training, microcredit or grants, we must make every effort to reach them. This traditional art must be preserved. Boats are one of our ancient means of transport. In river-based Bangladesh, rivers must be saved and the tradition of the original means of transport, boats, must be maintained."
District Citizens Committee convener Sheikh Azad Hossain Belal said, "Boats are one of our ancient means of transportation. With the disappearance of rivers, this ancient means of transportation is also on the verge of extinction. Every year, when the rainy season arrives, waterlogging occurs across the district. Then boats become the only means of transportation for people in waterlogged villages."
He further said, "The need for boats comes back again and again due to the pull of nature and necessity. And to meet that need, the craftsmen of Patkelghata, with their life experience and love, build each living dream floating on a wooden body. All they need is a little help, and this industry can become a strong pillar of Satkhira's economy."
