Sailing Against the Wind

Some of the greatest rivers of the world flow through Bangladesh, and these rivers form what is perhaps the world's most complete system of inland water navigation. Boat operations on inland water play a more prominent role in Bangladesh than anywhere else in the world. The way of life for the 120 million people who live in Bangladesh is to a large extent governed by inland water, and for several months every year between one third to helf of the land is submerged under water. Millions of people take to boats and life becomes a floating world. It is estimated that there are more than 700,000 boats in the country, employing several million people. In the past the fabric of the boats depended on the craft of the carpenter, blacksmith and village weaver. The "country boats" were truly and genuinely "made in Bangladesh". Since the mid 1980s however, a technological revolution has taken place in the country boat sector. Several hundred thousand country boats have been fitted with small engines. Beautiful sailing boats and life around them will soon be remnants of the past. This book aims to convey the atmosphere of the diverse unspoiled shipping on the inland water routes of Bangladesh, and so aims to preserve the rich cultural heritage that the traditional country boats represent in Bangladesh.