Vintage post card of “Catamaran Fishing Boats, Madras. #7126”, era 1900’s, unused, unposted in black and White. This is an old 1905 postcard of a fishing catamaran off the coast of Madras, now Chennai. The Catamaran is a floating raft made with three or four log panels fastened with thick rope or vine. A simple but effective contraption used from ancient times by Tamil Nadu fishermen. It does not sink or capsize that easily. “Catamaran” is anglicized from the Tamil word “Kettu Maram” or “fastened timber” by the British. It was so effective that ancient Tamil seafarers set sail to distant lands of Indonesia, Malaysia, Burma, and so on. These once prolific fishing catamarans have almost disappeared from the coast of Tamil Nadu. Replaced with modern fishing boats, to withstand a rougher sea and weatherrmen’s Catamaran In Madras – Old Postcard 1905