By Kavya Vani and Stefan Teplan
Authors Kavya Vani (r.) and Stefan Teplan (l.) with Gauri
Tsunami has created havoc in the lives of the fisher-folk of India, no doubt about it. But it has also created new chances and better conditions for many of them and changed their lives in a way that probably would not have been possible, had there not been the urgent need to completely reorganize and rebuild their lives after the disaster.
We deliberately use the term fisher-folk instead of the more common term fishermen because the fisher communities exist by the participation of men and women alike. In most cases it is the men who go fishing. And in most cases it is the women who do “the rest”: the processing, drying, storing, selling and cooking of the fish. True, they could not do this if the men had not caught the fish before. Also true is: the men could never make a living of fishing if the women did not sell it. Without the women all this fishing would be useless. So both parties rely on each other and that is a fact that has been widely neglected before the tsunami. It took this horrible disaster and the social work of the Catholic dioceses and NGOs like Caritas to promote the importance of women in this process.
The activities of the social wing of Chengalpattu diocese, Chengalpattu Rural Development Society (CRDS), a diocesan Caritas, may serve as a good example. With the support of Caritas they founded a fisher-folk-federation in summer 2006. And they made it very clear right from the start: Women and men have to be equal and should participate equally. There should be a gender quota of 50% as far as membership in this federation is concerned – just as men and women share the work in the fishing business fifty-fifty.
Fisherfolk federation meeting in Pannayur Chinna Kuppam, South India
CRDS did not have illusions and, knowing about the still existing and still unjustified hegemony of men, knew it would face opposition. But thanks to the convincing work of CRDS-programme-manager Jesuin and social worker Mrs. Mary Peter the men in the villages, after some awareness trainings given by CRDS, accepted women’s participation. A bit reluctant at first, but even optimists like Jesuin and Mary could never expect that a few months afterwards many men were really enthusiastic about this concept. Men meanwhile are feeling the need of participation of women in the meetings. As Nehru, Panchayat leader of Pudupattinam, puts it: “Men only think of boats, nets and engines whereas women think about the house, the children, their education, health issues, hygiene and necessary infrastructures for the village. So we strongly feel that women’s participation in the village development is vital and is enriching our community discussions”.
Women have also brought more culture into the meetings. Before they participated in meetings, the men, as one of them at a federation meeting admitted, “very often shouted and used rude words; sometimes we were even fighting. Now, when women are around, we behave much better.”
There might still be some men who do not appreciate this fact, but they are the minority. Mani, President of Block level Federation (the federation’s structure has for levels: village, block, district and state level) claims that “in the panchayat meetings there are men from neighboring villages; so if any conflict arises we will use abusive languages and sometimes it might lead to physical violence. And if there are women present it might be difficult for them to hear or see things that are not conducive”.
The men and women organized in this federation feel that they are much stronger together; they start to experience the power of being allied. Before the tsunami they never came together for any common tribulations. They were neglected and rejected in the society where they felt they had hardly any recognition. Dhavamani, Vice Secretary of the federation on the block level in Kadalur Periya Kuppam, is very well aware of that fact: “If I come alone to ask something or put my grievances forward, nobody will pay attention, but now, if we go collectively as a federation, it has much more power.”
Through this federation, men and women in the fisher-communities have got a platform to fight for their recognition and rights. Members are realizing the essence of coming together for a common mission. Kannappan, Panchayat Leader of Thazhuthali Kuppam, makes it clear: “If there is any problem in the neighboring village, let the members of the federation know so that we can come collectively to solve the issues”. He feels that after the formation of the federation they have a real stand in the masses.
The meetings of the fisher-folk-federation are organized in different villages every month. It was for these meetings that the women had the occasion to come out of their houses and villages. Gowry, president of the women’s group in Pannauyaur China Kuppam, “initially felt reluctant to go to another village for meetings. But after going there and meeting other women, I realized that I can help my village to move forward in this process”.
Men are coming forward in coordination with the women to take decisions concerning important issues in their villages. Still, women are not yet included in the panchayats, but the village of Thazhuthali Kuppam wants to make a start and include women in the future. If this takes place in all the coastal villages, it will be the biggest milestone in the Fisher-folk community. In this way, whatever havoc it has wreaked, the tsunami has turned from a curse to a blessing.
Copyright: Kavya Vani and Stefan Teplan
Copyright photography by Stalin Soosa Rathinam (1) and Stefan Teplan (1)
