KANNIYAKUMARI: In Mel Midalam village off the Kanniyakumari coast, a fisherman in his late sixties is busy brainstorming for his next endeavour, not an adventure to dare the stormy waves, rather to bring about a change through his writings.
Unlike most of his fellow fishers, whose lives are entangled in daily fishing routines, Kumpari P Paulin (69), despite going fishing, manages to find time to pen the stories of fishermen's lives, tell their sorrows, and create awareness among the community. He has so far published four Tamil books.
Adding 'Kumpari' (a term used among fishermen to fondly refer to their friends) to his name, Paulin began venturing into the sea at the age of 18. Born as the eldest of the eight siblings in the family, he went fishing along with his father Pathrose in their family's country boat to make ends meet.
Paulin, who was passionate about Tamil writings during his school days, continued to read newspapers and magazines, though he stopped schooling after Class 10. However, the young fisher was unable to opt for full-time writing, as he had to support his family.
"Seeing the ordeals of fishermen, I started writing about their pain and wanted to create awareness among them to progress the society. That's how the poem 'Kadarkarai Mugangal' (Coastal Faces) happened in 2,000," said Paulin, who also knows Malayalam and Kannada.
In 2024, his first novel 'Maanasura', depicting his 16 days experience in the sea near Nagapattinam in 2021, was published. Later on, he went to write two biographies 'Hindu Mukkuvar' and 'Kerala Christian Mukkuvargal', both published in 2022.
"Often, while fishermen are in debt, others involved in the fishing business would be profiting. I write in a bid to create awareness among ordinary fishers," said Paulin, whose next book on his village has gone for print, and will be published soon.
Speaking to TNIE, Erayuman Sagar, founder of Kadarkarai Ilakkiya Vattam, said "Our organisation has awarded Paulin's 'Maanasura' the Best Novel Award in 2025. He is one of the very few fisherman who is involved in both fishing and writing."