The dhows under sail may be a thing of the past, but one can still encounter motorised dhows plying in the Arabian Sea. Many of them still follow the ancient trade routes from the west coast of India to the Arabian Gulf and the Oman coast. They also undertake voyages to ports along Iran. It is said that they carry vegetables and timber and bring back electronic items that probably cater to the grey market on both ends. Most of these dhows sail without proper navigational aids and often hug the coast all the way to their distant destinations. Life on them could still be as miserable as described in the article (‘Magazine’, Pages 6-8, “The dhow men of Malabar”, April 14). Most of the dhows start from around the Darukhana harbour off Reay Road, Mumbai.
Prasad Govindapuram,
Kochi
