Good health and sea food go hand in hand. This is a story which starts in the sea and ends in plain. The story of a day in the life of a Fisherman named Mangayya. His adventures and his game with life.
Mangayya's life is nothing but hard work - a hardwork that is beyond your imagination. His day starts even before the sunrise, while most of us are warmly stuck on to the beds, flying in a dreamland. He moves on to start the only work he knows, only life he lead – “Fishing”. He, along with his team, carries bundles of net and drop that into the tiny diesel powered boat. All set to go, the team of five into the sea for the new day's catch. He was busy in playing the captain role and his assistants were busy in catching the small fish. As we go further into the waters of Bay of Bengal, we come across other fisherman who must have started their day much earlier than him.
Experience helps Mangayya to choose a spot for the day signalling the temporary stop for some time. Now it’s time to assemble the fishing equipment and prepare for the fresh catch. The fisherman lead fishes into the trap where the baites plays an important role. The hooks are carefully pierced into the tiny prawns in this case. The baite plays its role in attracting the fish. Some fishes get stuck onto the hook and some get caught in the net. “Waiting patiently is the key to a good net catch”, says Mangayya.
After a momentous and timeless wait comes the first catch of the day and the team is turbulent. The fisherman frees the catch from the net and welcomes to the boat . The fish gasps for life. Slowly, little by little the number of fishes in the catch increase. After a satisfying catch ,its time to move on. One of the team mate looses the rope up. Its time for lunch under the hot sun. After a small break .. when the first catch is not satisfactory, it's time for more strenuous work. Cyclone , rain , storm he had seen it on. With the seasonal business, May is toughest month of the year. When the waves are threatening and fishes lie low making It impossible for him to cast his net. Life is hard the salt and the water makes the boat rust, nets get caught in the rocks of the sea and gets destroyed. Every net need an additional expense of Rs 10,000/-.
Of course he hopes for a better life for his family, after all, the life of a fisherman is very uncertain. He does not have income during monsoon months. Also the rough seas are always dangerous, even then, it's not monsoon season. The lack of infrastructure nearby and reluctance of government and other bigger corporations to build proper facilities are taking their dreams away . It's mid afternoon and the team is tired hooking to take a much deserved break, they come to land. Back on land, he sells his catch on reasonable price. At sunset, it’s the end of yet another hard day - in return he earns Rs 300 to 400 rs and he will take it home. An income hardly enough to feed his home. In the night, he sleeps for a while, and this time - he wakes up a little early - to start his day again - fight with the sea and earn money for his family.
