Beypore Uru

• 15 Dec 2022

Why in News?

Recently, the District Tourism Promotion Council, Kozhikode has applied for a Geographical Indication (GI) tag for the famous Beypore Uru (boat).

• The Beypore Urus are a symbol of Kerala’s trade relations and friendship with the Gulf countries.

What is Beypore Uru?

• About:
  • It is a wooden dhow (ship / sailing boat / sailing vessel) handcrafted by skilled artisans and carpenters in Beypore, Kerala.
  • The Beypore Urus are purely made of premium wood, without using any modern techniques.
  • The wood used to build the Uru is still sawed the traditional way which requires immense expertise.
  • It takes anywhere between 1-4 years to build each Uru and the entire process is done manually.
  • This traditional handicraft has been in existence for 2000 years.
• Communities Involved in Uru-making:
  • The prominent people associated with Uru-making are Odayis and Khalasis.
    • Odayis:
      • They manage the technical matters of ship building.
      • Their family name comes from Odam (a type of small ship previously used in interactions/trade between the Malabar coast and Lakshadweep).
• Khalasis:
  • They are also referred to as Mappila Khalasis as majority of them are Mappila Muslims.
  • They are world-famous for their skill and expertise in launching the completed Urus into the water by using only traditional methods.
  • The Khalasis are considered as pioneers in the ship-building industry and the Arab traders were especially enamoured of them, and were among the first major patrons of these vessels.

UPSC Civil Services Examination, Previous Year Questions (PYQs)

Q. Which of the following has/have been accorded ‘Geographical Indication’ status? (2015)

1. Banaras Brocades and Sarees
2. Rajasthani Daal-Bati-Churma
3. Tirupathi Laddu

Select the correct answer using the code given below:

1 only

2 and 3 only

1 and 3 only

1, 2 and 3

Ans: (c)

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Exp:

• A Geographical Indication (GI) is a sign used on products that have a specific geographical origin and possess qualities or a reputation that are due to that origin.
• Darjeeling tea was the first product in India to get a GI tag.
• Banaras Brocades and Sarees and Tirupathi Laddu have got GI tag while Rajasthan’s Daal-Baati-Churma does not. Hence, 1 and 3 are correct. Therefore, option (c) is the correct answer.

Q. India enacted the Geographical Indications of Goods (Registration and Protection) Act, 1999 in order to comply with the obligations to (2018)

ILO

IMF

UNCTAD

WTO

Ans: (d)

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Exp:

• Geographical indications (GIs) are a type of intellectual property (IP). The World Trade Organisation (WTO) recognises intellectual property rights under TRIPS (TradeRelated Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights) Agreement.
• Under Article 22(1) of the TRIPS Agreement, the GIs are defined as “indications which identify a good as originating in the territory of a member, or a region or locality in that territory, where a given quality, reputation or other characteristic of the good is essentially attributable to its geographic origin”.
• Therefore, option (d) is the correct answer.

Source: TH