In the 21st century, would you believe that a boat designed 3,000 years ago is still sailing in the confluence of the Padma and Brahmaputra River?
Yes, this is happening and only for two people – Runa Khan, a preservationist, and Yves Marre, a French thrill-seeker.
In 1994, when Yves came to Bangladesh and met Runa, they became enamored with old-world technology and decided that Bangladesh’s boat heritage needs to be preserved for future generations.
When these beautiful ancient boats were disappearing and old-world carpentry skills were dying in front of their eyes, they built a cultural preservation sector under the Friendship NGO in 2002.
In 1997, Yves and Runa turned their dreams into reality by building one of the largest wooden hulls of the country into an international standard cruising boat, which was built according to the thousand-year-old techniques of the Brahmaputra carpenters.
The B613 (Malar) under the Contic cruises is traditionally a Malar boat, measuring 93 feet long and 23 feet wide, making it the largest sailing boat of Bengal and it is still sailing in the confluence of the Padma and Brahmaputra River in Bangladesh.
