Shashank Shekhar Posted online: Thursday, April 17, 2008 at 0343 hrs IST Mumbai, April 16 This former professor of maritime history at Mumbai University simulated a sea voyage undertaken thousands of years ago ��We had a great maritime tradition in India that goes back to over 4,000 years ago..." said Professor B Arunachalam, a retired teacher from the Mumbai University. Just back from an expedition across the Bay of Bengal, Arunachalam's journey was a simulation of a sea voyage of the Cholas, an attempt to test the practical utility of the Cholas' traditional observational skills. The plan was to sail from Nagapattinam in coastal Tamil Nadu, to Port Blair in the Andamans. However, owing to unexpected harsh weather, the vessel reached the eastern shores of Sri Lanka. Eventually, it reached Port Blair on January 18, after a detour through Sumatra caused by adverse wind conditions. The voyage was undertaken on INS Tarangini, the three-masted barque that was commissioned in 1997 and is used to train naval cadets. Tarangini is also distinguished for its earlier achievement of circumnavigating the globe, visiting 36 ports in 18 countries within a span of 15 months and covering 33,000 nautical miles. Arunachalam, a former maritime history professor, found sponsors in the Maritime History Society and also got the support of the Western and Southern Naval Commands. The Maritime History Society (MHS) sailing team consisted of Cdr GVK Unnithan (Retd) along with Vivek Ganpule of the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research (TIFR) and Umesh Solapurkar of the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC) with Arunachalam and Cdr Mohan Narayan providing for ground monitoring. The ship was under Cdr Patankar's command. The voyage also tested hand tools that were adopted by Rajendra Chola's convoy voyages in 1022 AD. Chola's voyages are also credited with concepts like that of parallel sailing (sailing parallel to the equator), which can only be practised in the Indian and Pacific oceans. "It's the quest for truth that leads to these kinds of expeditions and voyages because even with all the knowledge that we have, there are big blanks in history," said Admiral (Retd) J G Nadkarni of the Maritime History Society and also former Chief of the Indian Navy. During almost half the duration of the voyage, the skies were overcast, making it extremely difficult for the navigators to follow paths as planned. Also, owing to an extended cyclonic season that extended to March, the leg of the journey from Nagapattinam to Vishakhapatnam had to be abandoned. Arunachalam, choosing to be modest, said the simulation was only a partial success owing to bad weather conditions. To further explore the great heights of a part of our maritime history, another expedition of a similar nature is required, he said.