Toilers of the Sea

Livelihood concerns of the fishing communities in Raigad and Ratnagiri find no mention in the electoral campaigns in the Konkan region

- Abhik Bhattacharya

HILL ranges spread across the Western Ghats, the undulating waves of the Arabian Sea, and leafy mango and cashew trees flanking the streets make the Konkan region a spectacular tourist spot, but the underbelly of this coastal belt tells a different story. The small-scale fishermen, mostly belonging to the Koli community, share the stories of an impending livelihood crisis due to the big trawlers taking over their share of the catch. The medium-scale fishermen talk about their struggle to carry on in the face of several government regulations and curbs. However, none of their concerns find a mention in the big political campaigns of Ratnagiri and Raigad.

Driving past the briny and muddy water that settles in the khari (backwaters) after the high tide, as one reaches Mandri village of Mhasla tehsil in Raigad, a huge Hanuman temple adorned with hundreds of saffron festoons gives you a grand welcome. Besides the temple, you can find some small huts here—both kachcha and pucca—depending on their owners’ financial status. But what unites them is their desperation to restore the good old days of fishing. Standing in his courtyard near the temple, Sunil Palkhade who is in his late 40s, says, “Almost 70% of the people in this area have given up fishing. They have mostly shifted to Mumbai and other places. Fishing is no more a profitable job for us.”

Mandri used to have a population of around a thousand people. But most youngsters have migrated to big cities and are working as daily wage workers. Maureshwar Patil, the current Sadar of the Koli community in the village, explains the crisis: “It is due to the ‘company’ that has opened its port and dumped boulders in the water leading to the narrowing of the khari. As the