Urus are basically used for ocean travel, they are for transporting people or transporting
goods.
I am Dr Prabhu, I am a professor of architectural engineering.
This tradition of building boards still survives in different parts of India.
The master craftsman who is in charge of that ship building, he would have started working
as one who probably planed the planks, then he would have gradually got into joining of
the planks, then at the third stage he would have started making the frame.
So once you come to that level, you know how to shape things, you know how to join,
you know how to check, you know how the final product will come.
That is deep knowledge, hull has to be as flat as possible.
Modern ships for example, they are very sleek, but there the stability is controlled by so
many gyro systems and mechanical devices, so that they become stable.
And here the shape itself has to be stable, so a wide bottom is always preferred.
After making the frame, they put the planks, but still it is not leak proof.
In order to make it leak proof, they do what is called a caulking.
For this caulking, they take a cotton wicks and this cotton wick is introduced in the
joint and by means of a chisel, they hammer it so that it goes inside.
This much portion is somewhat ornamental and probably in old ships, this will be given
grotesque shape, shape like a lion, shape like a bird and things like that.
For any work that is coming on top of the deck, cabin making and things which have to
be changed frequently, aluminum can be used, that is why aluminum is becoming material.
The advantage of aluminum is that it is very light, it can be easily fabricated, training.
A craftsman, he starts, maybe at the age of seven, he starts using his tools.
He becomes a skilled craftsman and he rises to a particular level of a skilled worker
and remains a good worker till the end of his life.
They have some sort of workman's compensation act and some accident insurance and things
like that but it's not sufficient.
Some of the people who are working even in the sector of the timber shipbuilding industry,
they are very old but they don't get any determined benefit.
At the end of the life, they have to depend on their children or others or charity.
Without industry, nothing will happen in India but if the craftsman refuse to do work, India
will come to a stop.
