Fishermen of Jiser

Between travelogue, documentary, and introspection. Coming to the fishermen's beach at Jiser Azarkha I thought of a workshop on travel photography (or "cultural" photography). Usually, I feel better about a place if I connect with the people there, and learn something about their lives in general, or about the particular situation. I mingled a little with the locals, and I learned that they had gone to sea at 5 am that morning, and now (9 am) they are already back, their daily work only half done. Now come the tedious tasks of unloading the heavy fishnets with their bounty to the shore, untangling and getting the fish, and selling to the customers who were already coming from the neighboring villages to get them as fresh as they come. The fishermen are selling the fish each near his boat, not in any organized marketing scheme. The children too work hard to help their families make a living, and it's a bit sad to watch. They should be children and go play football, not heave heavy buckets. This being the year2022 in a few weeks, I wonder at this lifestyle that has been preserved for such a long time. Talking to the people I learn that they worry about the dwindling fish population and the government regulations. And now I think this is no longer a "flat", straightforward travel story, but maybe more of a documentary. Now the mystic light seduces me down memory lane, to the sea adventures I have imagined in my distant childhood. And this adds more complexity to the story.