​BREAKING THE NETS: An oral history of India’s fisherwomen

​In India, 12.3 million women, mostly from oppressed castes, identify as fisherwomen. But, their roles remain largely unacknowledged in government policies and within fishing communities. 

​So what happens when these women decide to organise and stand up for their rights? Shamsheer Yousaf, Monica Jha, and Sriram Vittalamurthy bring you three short films from Bihar, West Bengal, and Tamil Nadu. 

​This is an oral history of resistance, but also of resilience and hope. 

​Film 1: Waves of Resistance (22 minutes)

​For a Mallah woman in Bihar, abuse came in many forms. She lived in the clutches of penury, patriarchy, and caste oppression.

​An exploitative system crafted by dominant caste landlords kept the village ponds out of her hands. Denied of their traditional occupation as fisherwomen, Mallah women didn’t have many options for making a living. These women were trapped in a vicious cycle of abuse.

​Dominant caste landlords trapped her in modern slavery, including debt bondage, forced labour, and physical abuse. She was also subjected to another heinous, but rarely mentioned, form of violence — sexual exploitation.

​We present an oral history of these women’s fight for freedom. 

​Film 2: The sea is our mother (13 min)

​Namma Thayi has been diving in the Gulf of Mannar to pick seaweed since she was seven. She couldn’t miss work even when heavily pregnant. On one such dive, she delivered her child on an island. Today, as a frail 80-year-old, she still goes to the sea to collect seaweed. 

​The women around the islands of Gulf of Mannar have carved a niche for themselves as India’s sole wild seaweed harvesters. For them, diving in the sea is not an act of recreation or adventure, but a means to their livelihood.

​With the creation of the Gulf of Mannar Marine National Park, their places of work have come under legal protection for their rich biodiversity. The National Park is also a ‘no-take’ zone, denying them their traditional fishing grounds and seaweed beds. Over 5,000 seaweed collectors have their livelihoods at stake. 

​How do women dependent on protected areas survive in the time of conservation? 

​Film 3: This jungle is ours (12 min)

​Urmila Sardar saw a tiger drag her husband away while they were fishing in the Sundarbans. Parul Haldar had to abandon building a temple dedicated to the forest deity when her husband was killed by a tiger. 

​Still, they defy the Forest Department to work in this mangrove forest, facing the threat of tigers, crocodiles, and snakes. 

​Catching fish and crab has been the sole means for women here to earn a living. With the creation of the Sundarbans Tiger Reserve, the government has restricted people’s access to the forest, and made women’s jobs difficult. Increased frequency of storms and cyclones caused by climate change has added to their woes. 

​Now, fisherwomen are demanding for forest rights in Sundarban. 

​Acknowledgements:

​​We're deeply grateful to Samagata Foundation for graciously hosting us. The making of these films was supported by the Pulitzer Center and Rohini Nilekani Philanthropies. We’re very thankful to them.