There was a time when I was taken to court for trying to build India’s first solar ferry.
After graduating from IIT Madras, I began my career at a shipyard in Gujarat, followed by six years of hands-on work in large shipyards across South Korea and Japan. I later completed my MBA in France.
I came back with a simple dream: to start a boat-building facility in Kochi. To raise initial capital, I began offering consulting services and worked on designing boats and vessels. Somewhere along the way, almost by accident, I found myself experimenting with solar boats. The early days were tough—there were financial losses, resistance, and even legal challenges when I began building a solar boat for the government.
But three years of persistence changed everything. When we finally launched “Aditya”, it exceeded expectations and went on to be recognized in the Limca Book of Records as India’s fastest solar boat.
That moment laid the foundation for Navalt. Today, 36 solar boats are operating across 9 states in India, with orders from four countries and 37 more boats in the pipeline. We directly and indirectly support 180 livelihoods. Our work now spans solar boats for ferries, tourism, fishing, and work boats.
The bigger dream remains unchanged—to build solar-powered ships and take sustainable marine transport from India to the world.
This journey, with all its struggles and small wins, is part of my conversation on Spark – Coffee with Shameem.
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Sandith Thandasherry 