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On the banks of river Dhaleshwari, 20 kilometers from Dhaka, Friendship is in the process of establishing a museum of traditional boats of Bangladesh, which will be the first of its kind in the subcontinent. The components planned for the museum are: “Living Museum”; a display centre; documentation unit; and a marketing section for sustainability.
The “Living Museum”, which already exists in an embryonic state, constitutes of wooden full-scale boats which are being restored and reconstructed on site by craftsman such as carpenters, blacksmiths, rope makers, sail makers, and others. These restored and reconstructed boats will be on display, and the craftsmen will continue to live on-site working on other boats, and teaching other people their skill; passing down their knowledge.
The display centre will be a permanent structure which will exhibit boats and other items related to boats, boat-building, and traditions and culture surrounding the industry along with photographs, paintings, and documented history of traditional boats.
The documentation unit will be devoted to documenting the technical know-how surrounding traditional boats of Bengal. Some work has already been done in this regard through detailed documentation of a few traditional boats. In future, technical details of all boats will be carried out, including documentation of the “smooth skinned” Patham of the Meghna river, which is the best example of smooth skinned boat in the world. Such documentation will be carried out by naval architects, historians, archaeologists, and other experts in the field of boat-making and naval engineering.
The marketing section will contain a sales centre for souvenirs and model boats, organize activities such as boat races, and conduct adventure boat tours, among others.