The Hindu : A vanishing tradition of mass fishing

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Friday, Jan 23, 2004

Kerala

Kerala - Alappuzha

A vanishing tradition of mass fishing

By A. Harikumar

ALAPPUZHA, JAN. 22. The Malayalam month of `Makaram' is the month of `Grand Massacre' for the people living in a 20 sq. km. area extending from Noorand to Chunakkara in the district. It is on the 28th of this Malayalam month, that the villagers of the area carry out a ceremonial fishing called `Perumkola'. The fishing is conducted at the `puncha' paddy fields adjoining the area which would have partly dried up with the onset of summer.

Villagers of all age groups, irrespective of religion and caste, participate in the fishing. C. Rahim, writer and resident of the area, said the tradition of mass fishing was at present confined to areas in three panchayats of Nooranad, Palamel and Pandalam. ``Till the first half of the 1970's, it used to be observed in several panchayats in central Travancore,'' Mr. Rahim said.

He said the mass fishing, which was observed as a festival earlier, is fast losing its attraction even in areas where it is still observed. On the morning of Makaram 28, the villagers dress themselves in conventional fishing attire and arm themselves with various locally made fishing nets and fish traps before setting out for fishing.

They divide themselves into small groups consisting of five to eight people and cast their nets in the deeper portions of the puncha fields where the fish concentrate. Mass fishing will also be organised in the ponds and canals of the village. They use locally made nets like `tandazhy vala', `vatta vala' and `enthu vala' and ottal, a locally used fish trap. The catch would end by 2 p.m. after which the villagers divide the fish among themselves. A part of the fish, which remains after their use, would be sold later, Mr. Rahim said.

Speaking on the origin of the tradition, Mr. Rahim said studies on the origin of the festival was yet to be made. He said it might be a remnant of a tribal culture which would have lost its attraction later. The festival was widespread in central Travancore in the pre-Independence era but vanished from several areas later, he said.

As many of the panchayats auction off rights to fish from the big ponds and canals, the public are discouraged from practising the custom, he said. According to him, the most conspicuous aspect of the festival was that it had no religious connection. It was probably because of this that nobody was interested in reviving the tradition which emphasised the unity of the village, he said.

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