I still remember the feeling when I first heard about it. In September 2023, Sanjeev Sanyal walked into the quiet forests of Sattari to a small, ancient shrine tucked away in the Mhadei wilderness. No crowds, no lights, just trees, devotion, and Nau Devi, the goddess who watches over safe journeys across the seas. He went there to pray for a dream: rebuilding an ancient Indian stitched ship, held together only by coir ropes, the way our ancestors did it centuries ago. Prime Minister Modi had already nodded yes to the idea, but Sanjeev wanted her blessings first. That moment, in those green depths, feels like where the whole thing truly began.
I have seen a photo of that shrine. Nau Devi stands on a simple wooden boat, stitched just like the old ones. Three oarsmen row, a mast stands tall with a sail, and a tiny lookout perches in the crow’s nest, scanning the horizon. It’s carved with such care, you can almost feel the ocean spray. The locals have kept it simple, untouched by concrete or crowds. They worship it quietly, year after year, protecting what’s sacred. That’s Goa for you! Deep, understated and fiercely proud of its own roots.
And from that prayer, the project took off. A new-generation entrepreneur from Goa, Prathamesh Dandekar, stepped up through his company, Hodi Innovations. They signed the agreement in July 2023, but the real work started right here in Goa after the keel was laid. A team of master artisans from Kerala, and about 20 others brought the ancient stitching skill back to life. They used local wood, coir ropes, traditional methods. Plank by plank, stitch by stitch, the ship grew. It was launched on Maha Shivaratri in February 2025, handed over to the Navy in May, and inducted as INSV Kaundinya. Later, it sailed to Muscat, arriving on Makara Sankranti, another quiet miracle.
What hits me most is how Goa was at the heart of it all. We often see Goa as beaches, feni, and festivals, but there’s so much more. The Mhadei River flows through Sattari, revered as the path Nau Devi herself travels. The same protective spirit is in the INSV Mhadei; the Navy’s sailboat that completed two single-handed circumnavigations of the Earth. One named for the river, one for the boat goddess. It’s like Goa whispered to the world: our heritage isn’t gone; it’s alive, waiting.
Hodi Innovations didn’t just build a boat; they bridged time. The whole story—from the forest prayer to the open sea—feels like a beautiful documentary unfolding. There is a thread on X that tells it step by step: the early talks in 2021, years of research, tank tests at IIT Madras, every prayer and plank. It’s inspiring to see a young Goan entrepreneur take this on, blending old wisdom with new determination.
Goa’s strength is in this quiet confidence. Hindu sacred groves that ties everyone together, the way communities have held on to traditions without shouting about them. It’s multicultural in the best way—layered, harmonious, rooted in the land and sea. This project shows what happens when we listen to our own stories. Ancient Indian ships weren’t myth; they crossed oceans, shaped trade. And now, thanks to Goa, we’re sailing them again.
There are so many such ancient devrais and rakhandars across my humble Goa—small shrines, forgotten groves, rivers guarded by ordinary people. I just pray they stay unadulterated, simple, and true. May they keep blessing us as we rediscover who we are.
What a moment. What a project. And it all started right here, in Goa’s forests, with a prayer to Nau Devi.
(The author is Vice-President of Yuva Panaji, a youth organisation)
