Carriers Of Faith

There is a small jetty in Ratnagiri village in the Konkan region on the west coast of Maharashtra state, where the local fishermen dock and supply their daily catch. Most of the catch is supplied to big hotels and restaurants in and around the town. But, a small portion is sold on the dock itself. The person who actually catches the fish from the sea is known as the ‘Khalasi’. They are mostly migrants who have come down in search of livelihood and end up working as cheap labor. They migrate from Nepal, Madhya Pradesh and Bijapur in Karnataka to this Maharashtrian village. The contractors who provide work to these migrants, normally exploit them with pittance as pay. These men work with no safety gear and absolutely no insurance covers in case of any accidents or calamity. Working on wages as low as $3 per day, the small boat itself is their abode. They do not have any GPS or other equipment to predict weather and climatic changes or any advance equipment to locate exact position of fish in the sea to facilitate a big catch. The government has provided some reforms and financial schemes, but majority of these Khalasis are illiterate and hence not aware of the aid offered by the government. Every day begins with a new challenge and the same struggle for each of them. Yet these men are very hard working and in high spirits. The wrinkles on their face are their medals of passage through life and reflect the hardships they have been through. They say that the sea provides with them with their daily need and they live in the moment. Sometimes they have no catch and come empty handed, yet they would smile and say ‘tomorrow will be a better day.’ I was captivated by their simplicity and rawness and decided to capture their emotions up, close and personal.