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Savour the sea

The fishing villages near Mangalore offer a great treat, both in terms of their colourful culture and cuisine

PHOTO: MAHESH HARILAL

BRAVE THE WAVE Lending a fisherman a helping hand could be quite an adventure

The year was 1952, just when the Americans had built that fine Chevrolet. The beauty rolled out on the streets of Mangalore that very year and one can only imagine how the sight might have stunned Mangaloreans. The owners of the car too were as exquisite as the car they rode in. They were two ladies, royalty in their own right — one of them a kin of the last Governor General of British India, Lord Mountbatten, and the second, the British-born American musician Jo Strafford, who was mesmerised by the beauty of the Mangalore coast. Her enchantment turned into a beautiful song, "Shrimp boats are coming, their sails are in sight..." that haunts music lovers to this day. Jo and her friend took the "romantic south" route from Goa to Kochi that summer and halted at the old port in Mangalore, just when it was time for the fishermen to return with their catch. Story has it that only after a good lunch, that included shrimp curry, did the ladies move to Kochi from there.

Jo's song was brought out by EMI. Even today several Mangaloreans like Dr. Valarian Pinto of Valencia and Maj. Ram Mohan of Urva, admirers of Jo, hum this song at get-togethers. The salty sea breeze, the life of fishermen who brave the seas and the vibrant coastal culture have always held great charm for those who live in crowded, faraway cities.

But the case of Mangalore is somewhat peculiar because dozens of fishing villages are located within the Mangalore Corporation limits. While the fishing villages have more or less protected their culture and cuisine from the onslaught of urban Mangalorean tradition, the port city is increasingly getting attracted to the rustic charm of the countryside.

As the smell of the sea changes during monsoon and the boats lie quietly on the sands, it is time to see the fishermen catch up with their culture and cuisine.

The small villages by the seashore provide ample scope for local tourism as the fisherfolk take time off to guide tourists. The monsoon allows them the freedom of fishing on the coast in small catamarans. "If you are a braveheart, join them and help them haul the catch, and you may be rewarded with hot bhutai curry and rice from an earthen pot. If you are lucky you may even get balyar chutney," says Yathish Baikampady, who juggles rural and urban lifestyles in Mangalore. Baikampady, who had been the chef de affairs at the Kadala Parba (beach festival) last December, remembers it was the first official outing for the rural folks living in a traditional fishermen's cove.

There are hundreds of fishing villages all along the West Coast in the twin districts of Udupi and Dakshina Kannada that even today preserve the spirit of hospitality. Yermal, Thenka and Kaup are more vibrant beaches active even during the monsoon.

But don't we need more Jo Straffords to sing about the music of the daredevils of the sea?

M. RAGHURAM

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