“Today is our day, listen on to learn of our lifestyle…” begins the Fishermen Day song. Penned by Manapad fisherman L Stephilan Fernando, it was launched on November 21 on popular YouTube channel Ungal Meenavan Mookaiyur in view of World Fisheries Day. The six-minute-song, set to tune by Chennai-based Srider, has vocals by upcoming singers Keerthana and Karthikeyan.
“This is our tribute to the fishing community,” says 22-year-old Stephilan, speaking over phone. “The song talks about our everyday life; I have written it like an ‘amba’ song,” he explains, adding that Rameswaram-based FM channel Kadal Osai featured the song as part of their programming on November 21.
L Stephilan Fernando
Amba songs are sung by fishermen while at sea; often as a group, they feature terms such as ‘yela’ and ‘yelelo’. They are happy rhythms that help fishermen focus their energy while they are engaged in a strenuous activity such as hauling a net or pulling a boat out of the water. “Not a day passes by in our lives without singing the ‘amba’ song,” says Stephilan.
Stephilan’s song too is interspersed with ‘yela’, apart from terms commonly used in fishermen lingo. The highlight is the video that shows the vibrant life of the fishing community: from setting out to sea on their fibreboats, to casting their nets, and sorting their catch, the video is a capsule of a day along the coast. The video, according to Stephilan, has been shot in and around Manapad. “We want to show the world the trials we go through in our life; how unpredictable each day is,” he sums up.
