MANGALURU: “Almost every one of us here has spent some time in Sri Lankan prisons,” says Poondi, a fisherman from Rameswaram working at the fishing harbour in Bunder, Mangaluru. Behind his statement is the story of 5,000 odd fishermen hailing from Rameswaram in Tamil Nadu who have made Mangaluru their second home.It has been a year since he came here towing along with his fellow fishermen from coastal Rameswaram. “I am sort of relieved because I can fish in peace here,” he says.
With a narrow stretch of 12 nautical miles as the boundary between India and Sri Lanka at Rameswaram and more than 700 fishing trawlers operating there, the row with the neighbouring country continues.
For these fishermen, the area available within the Indian border for fishing is not enough, so they cross the border line regularly. The sea is their source of livelihood and they fail to realise the boundaries dividing it. The Sri Lankan government has often complained to the Indian embassy in this regard.
Rameswaram fishermen started arriving in Mangaluru around 1994 and they constitute a huge chunk of Tamil Nadu fishermen working here, says Mohan Bengre, fishermen leader in Mangaluru. “Sixty per cent of the workforce arriving from Rameswaram and surrounding areas have experience in trawling. We also get good boat drivers from that region,” Bengre says.
Ashton from Thangachimadam near Rameswaram is one such driver and he had spent nearly a decade in Mangaluru. “Many followed me to Mangaluru because we get reasonable wages here and there is no fear of losing our livelihood by being arrested by the neighbouring country and ending up in prisons there for months together leaving our families to starve,” he says.
It is true that they have an assured livelihood in Mangaluru but life is not easy for them. Most of them literally live on the boats, except to land their catch at Bunder. “The cost of living is too high for us to live on the shore. Living on a boat helps us save on rent and other expenditure. Every rupee we save here will mean a lot to our families,” explains John Paul, another fisherman from Rameswaram.
Away from their homes, these fishermen definitely miss their families. Most of them are married and have young children back home. Some of them have made attempts to go back to Rameswaram and resume a livelihood. Six years back, Ashton tried to relocate to Rameswaram and bought a boat worth `60 lakh. “But every day was a struggle and I couldn’t stand the fear of being apprehended by Sri Lanka because we have nowhere else to fish. So I sold the boat and returned to Mangaluru,” he says.
In case of emergencies, these fishermen do rush back to Rameswaram undertaking a gruelling journey of 20 hours. For most of them, two months of the fishing ban in Western Coast is the time to be with their families and spend quality time with their children. “We will come back once this ban is over here,” says Dinesh, a fisherman from Rameswaram.The families certainly miss their men but this relocation helps them with an assured income.
THE NETWORK
Around 5,000 fishermen from Rameswaram Island and neighbouring fishing towns like Mandapam work in Mangaluru
Another 4,000 to 5,000 fishermen working here are from coastal districts like Ramanathapuram, Tuticorin and Kanyakumari
Fishermen from Andhra Pradesh, Odisha and workers from North states like Bihar and Jharkhand also have joined the workforce here
The fishermen are paid a share of 25 per cent of the catch they bring to shore. Roughly, a fisherman may earn K13,000 to K16,000 per trip of ten days, which is handsome money for them