MUMBAI, May 22 -- Kaundinya, a stitched vessel constructed at Divar island, Goa, was inducted in the Indian Navy at Karwar, Karnataka, on Wednesday. The vessel has been built as part of a joint venture between the Indian Navy, ministry of culture and M/s Hodi Innovations, based in Divar, Goa. Minister of culture Gajendra Shekhawat was the chief guest at the event. The ship will eventually embark on its maiden transoceanic voyage between Gujarat to Oman -- an ancient trade route -- a naval spokesperson told HT. According to the western naval command, this form of ship building is "in keeping with India's rich maritime tradition, dating back several millennia". The ship has been constructed in alignment with the ancient shipbuilding practice in Goa, using wood, coir, fish oil and natural resin, by Hodi Innovations, a three-year-old ship building company started by Prathamesh Dandekar, whose family has been in the trade since decades. The tradition of stitched ships, where the vessels are made by stitching wooden planks using coir ropes, borrowing from Kerala's kettuvallams ("kettu" translates to "tie" in Malayalam), is fast fading. Apart from Goa, this craft is also practised in Lakshadweep, where odams or sewn boats were once used for sailing around the archipelago. Dandekar told HT, "It took a year-and-a-half to make the boat. The navy will take expeditions to trace our ancient trade routes. Through its making, naval officers often visited the yard to check on the progress." This was corroborated by a naval spokesperson who said the Indian Navy has "overseen the entire spectrum of implementation of this project - from its concept, design, technical validation to execution by Hodi Innovations and traditional artisans"....