Fishermen's travails

THE PROLONGED AGONY which the 19 Tamil Nadu fishermen have suffered for 14 months before they were happily brought home highlight the hazards to which this intrepid sea-faring breed is very often exposed and about which very little is known to the rest of the country. While this is not the first time that fishermen had drifted far away from their shores because of turbulent weather, one could not recall an earlier occasion when they were held captive and subjected to ill-treatment as in the present case in another country like Iran. It is, however, comforting to know that Pakistan extended humanitarian treatment to the fishermen soon after they were released on to the Pakistani shores.

The narration by the fishermen of the events they had run into soon after they left Saudi Arabia - where they had gone in search of ``greener pastures'' - should, among other things, throw some light upon the heartlessness which those in the lower rungs of bureaucracy resort to while handling situations of helplessness in which a group of people from another country find themselves for no fault of theirs as in the present case. The fishermen whose boats were washed up by the current into Iran's territorial waters must have lived through a nightmare when they were herded into a cell already having more than 240 prisoners and without standing space. This would remain burnt into their memory. Incidentally, the prevalence of such a state of affairs in which there could be such a dreadful packing of such a large number of prisoners more than two centuries after the horror of the Black Hole of Calcutta is a chilling commentary on how unregenerate officialdom still remains in a few countries. The fishermen were, therefore, not exaggerating when they called their homecoming a ``resurrection'' since it was like getting another lease of life after a harrowing 14 months.

Among the issues highlighted by the fishermen's ordeal is the one hinging upon whether international maritime agreements should not provide for the quick rescue of seafarers when they are driven adrift by choppy winds on the seas. If they are stranded at sea, they can count upon the Indian Navy to rush to their rescue. The 19 Tamil Nadu fishermen were not so lucky as they were driven to the shores of Iran far away from India. The tendency of the petty officials to resort to harsh treatment seems to manifest itself more quickly when they find that those who find themselves in the kind of predicament like the fishermen whom they should have looked after were poor and their own Government did not come to their relief as quickly as it should have. There have been many instances of fishermen - mostly from the developing countries - getting lost in the sea during stormy weather. Their Governments should respond immediately when their fishermen run into such bad luck. There is absolutely no excuse for the Government in India to have remained so very inactive for as long as 14 months.

In the present case, the fishermen did not perhaps anticipate that their boats would run into rough weather. This hardy breed is, however, known to have often ignored warnings from the Meteorological Department against sailing during turbulent weather presumably because the fishermen depend very heavily on the sea for their livelihood.The fishing fraternity is making a big contribution to the country's economy with its marine catch very often with their seemingly frail but sturdy catamarans. Such daredevilry, however romantic it may seem, should, however, be firmly resisted when bad weather makes it dangerously foolhardy.

Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Section  : Opinion
Previous : Turning point in Sri Lanka
Next     : Bihar - then and now