THOOTHUKUDI: Hundreds of videos that capture the essence of fishing hamlets in Thoothukudi and about 6.4 lakh subscribers - that is Thoothukudi Meenavan, a YouTube channel by M Sakthivel. But that’s not what makes him special in the neighbourhood, it’s the light that he sheds on his fellow fisherfolk. Using solar panels, the 30-year-old helped bring electricity to nine huts at one of the hamlets near the new harbour beach.
Home to 110 fisherfolk in 23 thatched huts, the hamlet is yet to get electricity connection. They catch fish using Karavalai, an ancient method of pulling nets from the shore. Among the catch, they also get crabs, shrimps, and, sometimes, octopus.
In the past couple of years, Sakthivel has uploaded over 300 videos related to the fishermen and their work in the Bay of Bengal and the Gulf of Mannar. He says that his videos started gaining some attention after he released the video of a sea snake two years ago. The videos have fetched overseas viewership too, especially from the Tamil diaspora.
With a decent income through his channel and the support he received from around the globe, Sakthivel thought of setting up the solar panels at the hamlet of his fellow fishermen, who had been returning to their unlit homes for decades.
He installed the nine panels at a cost of Rs 2.5 lakh in a span of a few months. The YouTuber says he plans to install more such panels at all the huts in the hamlet in the days to come.
Hailing from the adjacent Tsunami colony, Sakthivel has a first-hand experience of being ‘kept in the dark’. He says a lantern or a candle was as precious as a gem during his school days. The fishermen here are impoverished due to poor literacy. Only five people own a country boat in the hamlet, and nobody ever did anything other than fishing.
After hearing the pitiful situation of the fisherfolk, the Tamil diaspora in Malaysia and Singapore, and many others subscribers donated money in order to provide basic amenities in the hamlets, says Sakthivel.
"Even in this digital era, we used to recharge our mobile phones from hotels located far away, mostly on the way to the VOC harbour," says Rajkumar, a fisherman.
However, that comes at a cost for them. They have to buy at least a cup of tea from the hotel in order to use the charging point. "Now, our children can learn and play under the lights after dusk," he adds. A fisherwoman, Banu Chandanamuthu, thanks Sakthivel for she doesn’t have to fear about reptiles crawling into her house at night.
The families shifted to this site in the 1970s when the new harbour was being developed. Till then, they were put up at Pandiyantheevu, a nearby island. Since the beach area is now under the VOC Port estate, they are not given electricity and are also disallowed from constructing houses using brick.
According to port officials, the hamlets are unauthorised occupancy. All that the fisherfolk hopes is for the district administration to look into their problems and provide them with basic facilities.
In need of heed
All that the fisherfolk hope is for the district administration to look into their problems and provide them with basic facilities. VOC port officials, however, said the hamlets are unauthorised occupancy.
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