In 2011, I accompanied journalist and writer Rohini Mohan, who investigated why 72 Tamil Nadu fishermen had been shot at by the Sri Lankan Navy in the preceding six months while fishing in these waters. Her story was published in the Tehelka magazine.
Background:
The Indian fishermen along the Palk Strait, which separates the country from Sri Lanka, are forced to fish in Sri Lankan waters. Overfishing has reduced the Indian waters to a desert. They are allowed to fish on the other side of the imaginary border three times a week. However, they come under constant attack from the Sri Lankan navy. This could be because the Indian fishermen use illegal nets and overstay their welcome. But sometimes, they are attacked unprovoked.
How Rohini taught me a way to see:
I get a little excited when I see the sea, fishing boats, and the smell of fish, as I was shooting early that morning when the whole village of Jeggathaipattinam was preparing to head out to fish. And like a typical male, I ignored what was invisible to me—the labour of women involved in the launching process.
Here, they send the expedition off to work early into troubled waters.
Rohini pointed this out to me, which I have never forgotten. It's also what journalists are probably taught - The Graveyard Theory.
Adman and a close observer of life, Dave Trott, had a beautiful blog post that triggered this post.
Book Recco:
Rohini Mohan is also the author of a must-read book, "The Season of Trouble - Life Amid the Ruins of Sri Lanka's Civil War." It's an important account of three lives caught in the war.
Lovely ❤️