Of Wind and Wood

Screening followed by Q&A with the Filmmaker

Film synopsis: Maritime transportation caters to the movement of almost 80 percent of the global goods. It is also considered one of the major polluting industries and is subject to evolving environmental regulations, particularly in Europe. Nudged by the growing environmental concerns, the maritime world that grew out of wood and sails to steel and diesel engines are now are now having a serious relook at the potentials of sails. Many maritime companies have invested in technologies to harness wind propulsion in ships and a number of prototypes are being actively experimented to save fuel and reduce pollution. This is an interesting turn in the tale of technological progress and everlasting economic growth.

On the other hand, a tradition of wooden cargo ships has emerged and survived in Southern India, a vestige of millennia-long tradition of sailing vessels in the Indian Ocean covering the coastlines of Asia to East Africa. These wooden cargo vessels, in various forms have survived despite the mainstream developments in the merchant navy into the 21st century. Finding their niches in secondary ports and islands, built and sailed as an artisanal practice, they make a case for sustainable shipping, beyond the catchphrases of ‘tradition’ and ‘craft’. They help us question and understand technological development pathways and its relationship to contemporary planetary ecological and social concerns and help imagine feasible alternatives.