‘Sons of the sea’ turn frontline saviours

Sreevalsan Thiyyadi

When the floodwaters began to swallow their slender state a night after Independence Day, the poor and “lower caste” fishermen in Kerala sensed danger. And they decided it was time to venture into the waters in the opposite direction they’d routinely row out for a livelihood, into the hinterland away from the seas.

Today, four days later and amid a death toll of 210, a section among them is busy rescuing residents of four villages in south-central Alappuzha district. That belt around Chengannur has turned out to be among the worst-affected in the deluge the state last saw in 1924 with such ferocity.

“This is our fourth day into our service, totally selfless,” says T Peter, who is the general secretary of the National Fishworkers’ Forum that has 10 lakh members and is spearheading the Kerala operation. “Around 2,000 of our men, taking their motorised country boats totalling 600, have rescued thousands of people marooned in inland areas. There are still a few left, and we will work till the last person is saved.”

Thiruvananthapuram-based Peter, who edits a fishermen journal Alakal (Waves), says it all began modestly. “At the dawn on August 16, ahead of fishermen typically going into the sea at 8 am and amid heavy rains, we exhorted our district units in Kollam, Alappuzha and Ernakulam districts to send five boats each to flooded areas. Soon, we saw more and more of our men getting involved in rescue operations voluntarily.”

Some, with the GPS facility, accessed the most interior of places even before the Army, Navy and Air Force could. “We followed no protocol; it is all for a good cause,” says Peter. “Our men are strong, physically and mentally. Flood cannot instil fear in those who used to fishing in turbulent seas!”

In Kochi, Charles George has members of his Matsya Thozhilali Aikya Vedi (United Fishworkers’ Forum) working in 12-odd islands around the coastal city. “Mind you, these were the land bodies formed in a deluge seven centuries ago,” he adds, referring to a 1341 deluge that swallowed historical Muziris and moulded Kochi as a natural harbour.

George’s outfit, affiliated to the TUCI under the CPI(M-L), began by first sending country crafts in container terminals to Goshree Island. “From there, our engine-fitted boats, of all size and totalling around 130, shifted people across the archipelago to the mainland,” he adds. “We made similar efforts in Aluva (around the swollen Periyar) .” National award-winning actor Salim Kumar was among the hundreds the forum saved on the weekend.

Peter points out every passing day of rescue operation meant a cut on the fisherman’s income, however,  meagre. “We just wouldn’t mind it. Neither are we bothered that the same elite we rescue, seldom stands with us during our times of misery,” he adds.

George notes that fishermen are usually called the second line of defence across India’s coastline. “But in these floods, we effectively proved to be the frontline saviours for many,” he says. Peter adds: “We are keen on forming a taskforce from the state’s 222 fishing hamlets to act during tragedies. I’d suggest the government announce ‘Matsya Ratna’ awards for the best of its workers.”

Cognitive scientist Rubeena Shamsudheen, a Malayali working at Central European University in Budapest, notes the gritty Kerala fishermen are working in a disaster zone. “A boat will have an outboard engine driver, an oarsman, an expert swimmer and a local guide,” she notes on Facebook. “They bring back  20-25 people in a trip.”