Rohan wants to travel from Mumbai to Kolkata in a ship. Can he do that? Give reasons.
Rohan wants to travel from Mumbai to Kolkata in a ship. Can he do that? Give reasons.
The Correct Answer and Explanation is:
No, Rohan cannot travel directly from Mumbai to Kolkata in a ship, because there is no direct water route between the two cities that allows for such a journey by sea. This is due to India’s geographical layout and the absence of a navigable water connection around the eastern part of the Indian subcontinent suitable for regular passenger or cargo shipping.
Explanation
India is a peninsula, surrounded by the Arabian Sea on the west and the Bay of Bengal on the east. Mumbai is located on the western coast of India, facing the Arabian Sea, while Kolkata is on the eastern coast, near the mouth of the Hooghly River, which flows into the Bay of Bengal.
For a ship to travel from Mumbai to Kolkata, it would need to sail around the southern tip of India—past Goa, Kerala, and Tamil Nadu—then enter the Bay of Bengal, and finally move northward to reach Kolkata. However, there are no regular passenger ship services operating along this coastal route. While such a journey is theoretically possible by sea, in practice, it is not feasible or available for civilians, especially for personal travel like Rohan’s.
Moreover, no major shipping line offers direct coastal cruises or ferry services between Mumbai and Kolkata, mainly because:
- The distance is long (over 2,000 km by sea).
- Air and rail travel are faster, more economical, and better developed.
- India’s coastal infrastructure is primarily focused on cargo shipping, not on long-distance passenger transport between west and east coasts.
Also, unlike river systems in some countries, India’s inland waterways are not connected in a way that would allow continuous ship travel between Mumbai and Kolkata.
Therefore, while cargo ships may undertake similar routes, Rohan cannot travel from Mumbai to Kolkata by ship due to the absence of a public maritime service, limited infrastructure, and impracticality for passenger movement. Instead, he should consider traveling by airplane or train, which are the preferred and accessible modes of transport between these two cities.
