Manufacturing Ropes and Marine Cables at Howrah, Near Calcutta

Strung out on hemp and coconuts: Indian industry supplies a maritime fix

For centuries, Bengal had been the heart of the jute industry, turning plant fibres into useful products. Here in Howrah, twin city to what is now Kolkata, hemp and coir, a fibre made from coconut husks, are transformed into a rope of formidable strength. Strands of plant matter are teased into larger and larger cordage, culminating in a mighty marine cable, 20 inches across and strong enough to stay an ocean-going ship. Men and women work at the ropewalk.