Changing life style of Mukkuvar community - Xavier James L.S.

CHANGING LIFE STYLE OF MUKKUVAR COMMUNITY

Xavier James L.S.

Introduction

Mukkuvar also known as Mukkuva is a social group or caste primarily a fishing community living in the coastal districts of Kerala and South Tamil Nadu in India. They also live in Sri Lanka. It is an insignificant community in India from a numerical point of view but historically it is an important community. This paper focuses on the changing cultural traits or life style of the Mukkuvar community. Many of the Mukkuvars do a variety of jobs, including engineering, educational, clerical and so on, though a major part of the community does fishing or fishing related works. However there are many entrepreneurs and educationists among them. In India, there is misinformation that a social segregation based on fishers and boat owners exists in this community, with the boat owner’s today claiming to be a separate caste called Arayan or Aravan. However this segregation is not of much significance because poor fishers buying boats and becoming boat owners is very common. Similarly many boat owners of the past become poor fishers after losing the boats due to misfortunes such as natural catastrophe and sea related calamities. This should be considered as a normal happening in any dynamic working community. It should be noted that both boat owners and poor fishers identify themselves as belonging to the same caste/community and inter-marriage is not prohibited.

Amongst Malayalee Mukkuvas, the word Mukkuva was considered derogatory previously. However due to the increasing affluence of this community in the recent years, this is no longer a hindrance to their social interaction and mixing with other communities. As an example, the reluctance which existed among the Malayalee Syrian Christians in the previous centuries to recognize the Mukkuva Christians as their equals no longer exists. KanyaKumari district comprises 68 Kms. in length and encompasses 44 coastal fishing villages. On the eastern end of the coast is located Vattakottai (circular fort), a historically important place.  On the western end of this village is situated Cape Comorin.  The coast extends up to Neerodi coastal village.  According to an estimate 1,18,387  fisher-folks are distributed  in the 44 villages of Kanyakumari coast and constitute about 26 percent of the total fishermen of Tamil Nadu. (www.Mukkuvar.com)

The term ‘Mukkuvar’ has two etymological root meanings: (1) the ‘diver’, from dive into water muk or mung and (2) those who live in a corner muk. The Mukkuvar community is one of marine fishers. The term Mukkuvar was originally used to refer to all fisher groups. There were two main versions for the derivation of the term Mukkuva. Kalpana Ram writes basing herself on the existing folklore tradition, that the name is very much related to their spatial identity. The Tamil word ‘Mukku’ means ‘the tip’ or ‘corner’. In this sense “Mukkuvar denotes the people who occupy the very tip or edge of the land mass” (Ram, 1992, p. 47). The second version is connected with their occupation. According to this, the terms ‘Mukkuvar’ (Tamil) and ‘Moger’ (Canares) come from the same root, meaning to dive’ (Ram, 1992).  The Malayalam verbal forms ‘mungnuca’ and ‘mukkuca’ signifies to immerse in water or to dive in water. Thus the acceptance of the term Mukkuva as their community name can be taken as a realistic approach to life. They have been living at the southern tip of the seashore of the Indian peninsula for centuries as deep-sea fishers.

They are an eco-ethnic community coming from either the pre-Dravidian or the earliest Dravidian communities. Their cultural elements would be identical with those of the niethal community depicted in the Sangam literature (Vareethaiah, 2010). It is noted that these originated from the time of the civilization at Harappa and Mohenjo-Daro, It is vivid that they lived in Lothal in Gujarat and they had good business relationship with other continents. When the Aryan invasion took place they seem to have escaped to the southern part of the land and began to settle down there. Many of them embraced Christianity because of the business partners of foreign land (Vareethaiah, 2010). When Saint Thomas came to India in the first Century of the Common Era, he landed at the seashore and had baptized many from this community. The whole community accepted Christianity from the second apostle of India, Saint Francis Xavier around 1544. The Jesuit missionaries who followed him trained them for two centuries in the practice of the Christian faith. However, the community was pushed into a life of severe conflicts from the time of their conversion because of the polarizations caused by foreign and native politics, and religious and economic concerns (Theesmas, 2008). From time immemorial, Fishermen were always a constitutive element of society. Until the introduction of caste system, they had a glorious past in which they played key roles in all walks of life. After the Sangam Age, they were sidelined and marginalized by the rest of the society, and the sidelining and marginalization continue even today. In the course of time, they embraced Christianity and Islam and were not reluctant to receive their respective religious identity.

Even though they have been faithful to their faith for centuries, this new religious identity did not bring any radical change in their life. They try to evolve as a working-class in the changed circumstances; but the forces they have to overcome, drag them behind, making an upsurge impossible in the near future. The sound socio-economic and religious factors, which should have served as the foundation for this revival, are also not in their favour. These unfavourable social set-up and socio-economic conditions create the increasing tendency of migration among the fish-workers of Kerala. In addition, the low level of education and non-representative nature of political participation augment the phenomenon of migration among fish-workers.  Hence these factors in turn calls for the social, political and religious organizations to review their attitude and mission towards the fish-workers and formulate integral model that helps the fish-workers to regain their proper identity and dignity as human beings in the society.

It will be interesting to learn about this community. It will help one to understand the cultural changes in the community and how social workers need to address the problem faced by them with regard to their rights. While addressing their problem one needs to have proper understanding of their roots and history, so that one can adequately address the issues. As the saying goes, one who is ignorant of the history tends to repeat the mistakes of the past. This community has passed from a culture of silence to demand for its rights, from a culture of submissiveness to assertiveness.  Their hard work of fighting with nature and rigid religious observances made them to be submissive to their religious leaders and other leaders. Now they have learnt to voice their views and stand for their own rights to assert themselves as other people of the land.

Finally, the recent trends to mechanize the fishing and the pros and cons of the same will be discussed. Therefore this paper will deal with a brief history of this evolving community, changes occurring as a result in their life style in the areas of social-religious-cultural-political-educational and economic backgrounds. It is proper here itself to define the meaning of life style which is a way of life or style of living that reflects the attitudes and values of a person or a group. It is a way of living of individuals, families (households), and societies, which manifests itself in coping with their physical, psychological, social, and economic environments on a day-to-day basis. Lifestyle is also expressed in both work and leisure behavior patterns and (on an individual basis) in activities, attitudes, interests, opinions, values, and allocation of income. It also reflects people's self image or self concept; the way they see themselves and believe they are seen by the others. Lifestyle is also a composite of motivations, needs, and wants and is influenced by factors such as culture, family, reference groups, and social class (www.lifestyle.com). In this paper the life style of the Mukkuvars will be discussed and the changes occurred will be also indicated.

History of Mukkuvars

Now “the term Mukkuvar would mean exclusively the community of marine fisher people professing the Catholic religion living in the Kannyakumari and Thiruvananthapuram districts” (Mathew, 2001, p. 54) From time immemorial, Kerala and Tamilnadu had trade-contacts with people of different cultures. The presence of Arabs, Jews, Romans, Portuguese, Dutch, French, British and other non-Dravidian cultures are ample proofs for it. Immigrants from these countries intermarried with natives. Different contacts with the world was made in these areas and it became the abode of all world religions. It is not surprising that today one community is known in different names. The fishing community is not an exception in this regard. In fact the use of a variety of names like ‘fisher folk,’ ‘fishermen,’ ‘fish workers,’ ‘Mukkuva,’ ‘Dheevara,’ ‘coastal people,’ ‘Mapila fisher-folk,’ ‘Latin Catholic,’ ‘coastal community,’ ‘fishing community,’ and so on has even led to some sort of confusion among others. This warrants a clear understanding of the term ‘community’ (Lopez, 2002).

In short when one looks at the origin of the fishermen community, it would seem that their origin goes back to the Indus Valley civilization. From the ruins and seals unearthed at Mohenjo-Daro, the Minas and Parathavas were the two major fishermen communities who played considerable roles in all walks of life. “The other groups of fishermen community such as Mukkuvas and Arayas might have evolved from the groups Minas or Minavas.” (Theesmas, 2008, p. 14) Their primary occupation of fishing had a pivotal role in the early stages of the progress of humankind. It evolved as a chief economic activity and preceded even agriculture and farming. The advent of Aryans turned the situation upside down. The original settlers of Indus valley proceeded to south through sea and land routes in order to avoid the attack of Aryans. Those who came through land settled in hills and forests and who selected sea routes arrived and settles in the coastal regions of sound India including Kerala and Tamilnadu (Velayudan, 1973).   

The Sangham age that corresponds to the first century BCE to fourth century CE and Sangham works give clear references to fishermen communities and their life. Then the coastal zone was called as neithal tinai. The ancient Tamilakam, which included the present-day Kerala, had been divided into five eco-cultural zones, each having its own cultural adaptations. The people living in the mountain zone were identified as hunters; the people of the forest as herdsmen; those of the fertile plains as cultivators; those in deserts as warriors; and people of the coastal zone as Minavar or Valainar or Valaipparadava referring to fishermen (Mathew, 2001).

There was no caste distinction in Sangham period. People lived in mutual respect and harmony though not in affluence. Art and literature flourished well. Nakkirar, a leading poet of the Sangham Age hailed from the fishermen community. The main groupings among fishermen were Mukkuvas, Arayas, Nulayas, Valens, Marakkarakayans and Paravas.  The fishermen not only engaged in fishing but also in pearl collection, ship building, navigation and business like salt making. A few of them were economically well off with palatial houses and property. At times, kings also joined in fishing. A portion of fish will be reserved for the king, priests, poor and the rest will be shared by the crewmembers (Albarius, 1994). The custom of offering fish to poor and weaker sections of the community regularly and to priests at times continues even today in most of the fishing villages.

In short, the fishermen had much respect to their occupation. They always see sea as their life-giving mother called Kadal Amma in Tamil language. Their initial struggle was with the Aryans. When they were in the southernmost tip of India, it was with the sea and its tides. The arrival of Aryans and their subsequent Aryanisation caused significant changes in the whole social life of the people of Kerala and Tamilnadu resulting in the worst form of caste system. The Christian fish-workers in Kerala are known as Latin Catholics or Latin Catholic Mukkuvar. They constitute 42.4 percent (India, 2006) of the total marine fish-workers of Kerala. It was after the arrival of Portuguese that the phrase ‘Latin Catholic’ was added to Mukkuvar. If Saint Thomas had arrived in Kerala “the Mukkuvar, probably a few among them, were the first to receive the Christian faith from the Apostle Thomas or at least the first Christian Community in Trivandrum” (Ponnumuthan, 1996, p. 11) which is the capital city and predominantly a Latin Catholic centre where Trivandrum Latin Archdiocese has its Metropolitan See and Head quarters. Majority of the faithful belonging to Trivandrum Latin Archdiocese, Quilon and Allepy dioceses are from the fishermen community. Besides these major pockets of Lain dioceses, the rest of the eight (altogether 11 Latin rite dioceses in Kerala) diocese have bigger or smaller fishermen communities which are either marine or inland.

The Mukkuva community was looked down not only by caste Hindus but also by the caste Christians, in spite of their identification with the Catholic Church for centuries. Maria Soosa Pakiam, Archbishop of Trivandrum Latin Archdiocese writes: “Due to the prevalence of a strong caste system in India, Christian fish workers were not received into the fold of the church for many centuries. Even the missionaries who shed the light of the gospel among them did not consider them able to shoulder responsibilities. Today they remain victims of oppression and exploitation.” (Pakiam, 1998, p. 4)   From the discussion so far made, one may probably conclude that even though the deserving recognition was denied to them by the existing social system, historical evidences show the  Dravidian descendency and the prestigious past identity of the fishermen, which they lost in the course of time was unable to withstand the evil effects of caste system. Kalpna Ram supports this view saying “their occupation does not involve them in personalized relations of dependency and servitude to their higher castes in agricultural society.” (Ram, 1992, p. 41)

In fact, the fishermen had to fight against the violent tides and winds of the sea, in front of which the restrictions of the caste system was nothing to them. Therefore, it might be to bring this unyielding group of people under the social control that the caste people branded them as disobedient, barbaric, impure and low class. This assumption gets strengthened when one considers the fact that fish and meat were avoided from the menu of the caste people. This religious prohibition might have helped to create an antipathy towards the ‘disobedient and un-yielding’ fisher folk.

Socio-Political Background of Mukkuvar

The social environment of Mukkuvar community is quite a different one from other agrarian, tribal, and caste communities due to their occupational nature as marine fisheries. Their social relations and behaviours are developed from their occupation. Their primary occupation, fishing, had a pivotal place in the early stages of the progress of humankind as it evolved as a chief economic activity and preceded even agriculture and farming. The keenness of it was more felt during the stages of emergence of civilizations than during the recent centuries or present (Visalakshy, 1967).

In a general sense James R. Mc Goodwin defines community as a“ social group of any size  whose members reside in a specific locality, interact with one another on an ongoing basis, and who have a shared sense of identity, interests, values, governmental institutions, and cultural and historical heritage. To qualify as a community it is not necessary that all members reside in a specific locality all the time, nor that all of them interact with all of the others on an ongoing basis” (Godwin, 2001, p. 5).

Fisher folk community means the society of those who are part of the ancestry and culture of fishing.  They include families and individuals not actively involved in fishing but belong to the castes considered to be following fishing as traditional occupation and it excludes those families and individuals who practice fishing but do not belong to the castes considered to be following fishing as traditional occupation. It refers to the compulsory and familial nature of the membership to the community and the negative connotation on caste basis. To avoid both unnecessary confusions and the negative implications, the term ‘fishing community’ could be more preferred since fisher-folk is an exclusive term (Matthias, 2010). 

For their habitats, the Mukkuvars occupied only the narrow strip of the sea coast in the country or state.  They enjoyed political freedom within their villages. The villages were part of the wider divisions in the state. They worked together with their neighbours to defend their king and kingdom whenever the circumstance demanded their service. They played vital roles at certain junctures in the history of the Travancore State to defuse the revolts of the Nair and Brahmin armies against the king. The kings of the state were keen to promote the former’s welfare though they had become Christians. The change of religion made them objects of many political attacks, and often destruction, by their neighbours and officials.

It is said that unity is strength. But at present, their strength is divided into civil governance in two states, Tamil Nadu and Kerala; and in three dioceses for religious purposes. They are broken into different local, civil and revenue administrative divisions to prevent them from gaining political strength to challenge other communities in the Indian democratic political system. In the village and town panchayats, leaders from the community become members and presidents. Their religious leadership enjoys great influence in shaping their political strength and in their struggles (Theesmas, 2008). The Catholic priests are like small kings and enjoy the favour of the people. Whenever there is an election or any political issue to be addressed, the influence of the religious leaders is very significant one. In the case to protest against the nuclear plant at Kudamkulam, it is the religious leaders who lead and support the protest and the people accept and follow the instructions given by the religious leaders.

The community has been earning their livelihood mainly from marine fishing and fish-related occupations. There are three areas of the profession in fishing: (1) preparation of fishing-related equipments, raw materials for fishing, (2) activities after fishing, like marketing and curing fishes for distant use, and (3) actual fishing activities.  All these were seen as separate activities by different individuals in the same Mukkuva family until the modern techniques and equipments of fishing were supplied to them from the 1960s.

The community was socially considered to be outside the caste system in the Travancore State where the community was situated before India became independent. They held high positions in the fields of education; enjoyed social status like those of poets, merchants, army officers and even kings; they were a self-governing community in the period of the Sangam literature. In the Travancore state the Hindu Brahmins later introduced into the social life the notion of pollution, practiced for religious purposes. The native resident communities were reduced to the status of untouchables and unapproachables. Together with other native communities like the Nadars, Pulayas, Parayas, Ezhavas, the Mukkuvars were stripped down to dehumanizing levels in their accessibility to economic and social developments under Brahminic Hinduism.

It was mainly to counter this that the community accepted Christianity in the sixteenth century. This move also proved fruitless since the other Christians had by then integrated into their communities the manners and customs of the Indian caste system.  The community further lost its identity as one among the several communities converted to Christianity. Their members were denied entry into the priesthood and religious life until the Portuguese left their region.  They were given the constitutional status of ‘the most backward community’ (MBC) in Tamilnadu and ‘other backward community’ (OBC) in Kerala after Independence. Narendran Commission was an inquiry commission appointed with C Narendran, a judge of Madurai in February 2000 to study and report on the adequacy or otherwise of representation for backward classes in the State public services. The report is available on the government web site. It submitted the report in November 2001 with statistical data on the representation of the various communities in the four categories of public services - State government departments, the judiciary, public sector enterprises, and universities and other autonomous institutions under the government. The Narendran Commission stipulated that the scheduled caste or scheduled tribe status be granted to the fisher folks all over India, considering the low status of education and other parameters in their social development criteria (Lopes, 1995).

In spite of the harsh and oppressive treatment meted out to them over centuries, they are proud of their traditions and culture. Converting to Christianity, many communities have abandoned their traditional names and received foreign names like Vas, Fernando, D’Cruz, feeling ashamed of their low social status. The Mukkuvar community has taken the local language words for the apostles and saints as their names, for example, John: Arulapper, Peter: Rajapper, Paul: Chinnapper, Benedict: Ashivadappan, Cruz: Siluappan. Instead of the appan suffix for men, for women, amma is used with Tamil names.  Their habit of keeping the Tamil names is now changing after the introduction of education and the process of modernization after the 1950s (Theesmas, 2008).

Religious Background

The fisher folk are religious in nature. It is because of the dangerous work they do namely fighting the nature and earning their living. Even though the origin of Christianity in Kerala is uncertain due to the lack of historical evidence, the tradition supports its beginning with the two Apostles, Saint Thomas and Saint Bartholomew who are both mentioned in the Roman Missal. Clear evidences for the presence of the Latin Catholic fishermen community in Kerala is available from the decree of “Ad Perpetuam rei memoriam” by which Pope John XXII erected the first Catholic diocese in India on 9 August 1329 (Ponnumuthan, 1996).

Arrival of Portuguese missionaries under Saint Francis Xavier initiated a second beginning in the religious history of Latin Catholic fishermen of Kerala. Regarding the relation between the people and the Church Father Houthart observes: “The Church is the central institution within the community. The priest is the ex-officio leader of the village. Despite the fact that indigenous leaders do exist, no major decision in the village can be taken outside the priest’s authority. This also accounts for the internal organization of the community. The church has a dominant say in the political, economic and social life of the people. By using the pulpit on Sundays the priest is both the spiritual and ideological leader. He has not only the monopoly of interpreting the Word of God but also of determining the social ethics of the community, telling its members what they can or cannot do” (Francis Houtart & Nalini Nayak, 1988, p. 34).

According to Kalpana Ram, the response of the Catholic Church to their total dedication and commitment to the cause of faith was a sort of ‘accomodationist’ attitude. Roman Catholic missions in India date from the coming of the Portuguese, and virtually from the beginning appear to have regarded the caste system as the given and religiously neutral structure of Indian society within which evangelization, understood as the conversion of individuals without detaching them from their social context and also the conversion of the whole caste groups, might proceed. Christianity, in other words, was seen as neither threatening nor undermining the caste system, but rather working within it and accommodating western social standards to the norms of caste (Ram, 1992).

The fisher-folk, due to this attitude of the church, continued to live on the fringe of the new society as they had done in the past. Even their seminarians were not allowed to study in the seminaries and therefore they had to depend on the far away seminaries in Bombay as per the direction given by the Congregation of Propaganda in Rome in1832. Education was not encouraged. Certain pastoral letters of the bishop of Quilon instruct the faithful that they should not have contact with non-Catholics, they should be careful about the danger of English language and they must always be faithful to the Catholic doctrine and authority (Lamercinier, 1983). Moreover, majority of the bishops among the Latin Christians in Kerala were foreigners and virtually very few priests were ordained from the community. Since the culture and tradition of this people are unknown to many of the foreign priests, they considered their term in the coastal parishes as an ordeal to be endured. 

In fact, people, because of their unchallenging faith, were tolerating these priests who imposed unjust laws on them. The dominance of the Church was so explicit that it collected every day five percent of the total catch of fishermen, it owned the whole land and the coconut trees of the village. Heavy taxes were imposed on those who violate the Church laws. Many of these practices persist even today in many coastal villages irrespective religion. Kalpana Ram refers to the Church in such situation simultaneously as religion and bureaucracy and parish priests as Kutti rajas or ‘petty princes’ in the Weberian sense (Ram, 1992). There is no doubt that the missionaries, whether from Portugal or from Goa, who worked among them did not do much for their social emancipation. They failed to understand the cultural identity of the people and the intellectual caliber which Saint Francis Xavier himself had realized (Ponnumuthan, 1996).

In short, all the three religions namely Hinduism, Islam, Catholicism helped more the aspirations of the higher caste people than that of the subaltern people including the marine fishermen. However, the missionary period had paved the way for the social emancipation of its subjects except the marine fisher-folk, in whose case it regenerated the feudalism under the mask of a divine frame. The remnants of these situations warrant the fish-workers to leave their families and domiciles in search of better environment. This needs to provoke the Church and the social organizations to reschedule their strategies towards the human emancipation of fishermen by way of ensuring social justice. Church is meant to be the agent of social justice and also lifting up the society to the holistic development and so the migration and changing pattern of the lives of the people should become the concern of the church which is often overlooked. For this reason many authors like Varithaiya, Mary Jaculine and Justin are very pessimistic about the church and its authorities.  They are angry with them for not guiding the people to connect themselves with political life of the nation.

Religious life of Mukkuvars helps them to face the problems in their life and struggles when in need of peace and confidence.  The religion of the Mukkuvar community is named Mukkuva Catholicism. It does not include the other fisher folk communities since the paper deals with the community in Trivandrum & Kanyakumari districts. The Mukkuvars in these localities are mainly Catholics. To some extent, it appears to harmonize ‘the apparent incongruity between the neithal heritage of their forefathers’ and ‘the Catholicism brought in by the Portuguese missionaries’. They have been Christians for the last 450 years and they practice various religious traditions to adapt to their life situation. They have been interweaving diverse elements of various religious traditions and religions in a process of encounter and dialogue to derive meaning to their life.

The Mukkuva Catholicism is the practice of the religious experience of the community combined with their previous religion namely, Hinduism and Catholic faith, in their daily struggle with the powers of nature and the fearsome evils in society which bring sickness even to death. The community as a formative agent leads individuals to liberation in the socialization process, teaching them to be free of evil influences. These are represented symbolically by actions and words, rituals, functions and roles in their individual and social life. They appreciate any benevolent action, person, belief, practice and so on and so forth that help in their daily struggles to achieve a meaningful life. The Mukkuva spirituality, like the sea, engulfs everything in life, and is a harmonious and holistic one (Theesmas, 2008).

Cultural Background

In this part the cultural background would be dealt with, which will include language, traditional practices, beliefs and experiences, type of families. In this section the facts and the changes is presented. The language is the mixture of Tamil and Malayalam. Now when they are educated and come to other influences they begin to speak pure English, Tamil, Hindi and Malayalam. A society which was closed to changes has now moved into changing style of speaking because they used prolonged or tuned language and now that they have come in contact with others have according to the land. The families were mainly of joint in nature. Now that migration and education have paved way this is in transition and many have preferred nuclear family.

The Mukkuvars are valiant marine fishers living in a narrow sea shore of old Travancore state. They had their glorious past at time of the Sangam literatures. They lead an eco-cultural social life centered on their occupation. The world and worldview of Mukkuvar are formulated from aggregation of community’s experience with sea and occupation as deep sea-fishers. They gathered their knowledge and wisdom and further utilized to guide and direct their life for greater achievements. The understanding of space and time is conceived from dynamics of heavenly bodies: the sun, the moon, and stars. Sea and land, winds and currents are intertwined in their life in acquiring knowledge and expertise in their ‘thozhil’(occupation). These factors make them quietly different community from other sea-fisher communities in India. The moon plays major role in determining the life in the East whilst Sun in the West.

The Mukkuvars have a peculiar character acquired from the sea from their constant contact with the sea and fishes.  The sea at their coast is rough but fertile because of the joining of the three oceans: the Indian Ocean, the Bay of Bengal and the Arabian Sea. Their fishing instruments and methods are under constant evolution as adaptation to the changing situations. The adaptation is based on the knowledge collected from generation after generation in their fishing experience. The adaptation is aimed at reducing losses to the minimum and gaining profit to the maximum. They have well defined roles and functions for man and woman, family and social systems. Its peculiarity lies in relation to their livelihood-earning from fishing and marketing. They celebrate the life cycle in birth, puberty, marriage, and death as community celebrations. The weaker sections are taken care of in the general social structure with a share from fishing. They have collaborated with social build-ups with other sections in the wider society. Their culture is built on freedom and autonomy. It has been kept intact for centuries away from the influence of other cultures due to its relation to the fishing activities. The language, communication methods and entertainments are developed in the efforts of the community to participate effectively in those activities. These are kept exclusively separate from those of other cultures. In this way the Mukkuvars preserve a very distinct worldview while their world remains the kadel, the sea, and all its resources (Theesmas, 2008).

Fishing for Mukkuvar, is more than catching fish from the sea, whether for own consumption or for the market. For them it is the most central human activity that expresses their basic beliefs and concerns, their very identity and life orientation. The series of ritual acts meticulously performed in a fishing expedition has significance that is not confined to fishing alone. It acts as the interlinking thread of every aspect of life. It is a sacred activity. In and through this they make and remake their world, which encompasses every aspect including what is called religious. It is in this rich sense that fishing is termed a ritual performance (Mathew, 2001). One cannot miss observing fishermen removing their turban from the head and tying it around the waist while launching the vallam into the sea. The turbans are again tied around their heads once they cross the breakers. ‘Kadalamma does not like it’ they say, and if the turban is not removed she will push the boat back to the shore in fury, they believe. Removing the turban is an act of paying homage to someone according to the Kerala and Tamilnadu custom. One is not supposed to wear footwear on board, or carry any cash while going fishing; kadalamma will take him for a rich man if he has money in hand, and so will not be generous with him. But this practice is slowly disappearing due to the changing pattern of work. As the vlllam reaches the front of the old church, the crewmembers pause for a while, bow and pay homage to the Amma (chinathira mata, the patroness of the church) (Mathew, 2001).

Educational Background

Even though economists and social scientists laud the state of Kerala as unique model of development, one has to verify whether the fish-workers have joined in this forward march. Studies reveal that “This achievement cannot really be claimed in the case of three major categories of the backward sections of the State, the tribal flock, the marine fish-workers, and the floating Tamil population. Of these, the fisher-folk are a community that contributes significantly to the economic output and nutrition of the people of Kerala” (Matthias, 2010, p. 12). According to the available literature, comparison of the literacy rate of the working population of the State with the fisher folk community shows that the latter is far behind. The level of education is also very low in the fisher folk community. George, a researcher using data from three districts in Kerala has claimed that the educational backwardness of the marine fish-workers has to be located in the socio-economic constraints, cultural factors, school variables, family variables, individual behavioural factors, occupational pattern and mode of production. From an analytical point of view, he argued that the inadequacy of political mobilization and consolidation of the community, contributed to the educational backwardness of the marine fish-workers. In Kerala 28.5 percent fishermen possessed primary level of education, 36.3 percent secondary level and 8 percent possessed above secondary level of education. 27 percent of the fishermen had no formal education (India, 2006). It is natural that in a literate State there will not be any illiterate communities. The proportion of illiteracy is much higher among the Christian fisher-folk compared to others (Matthias, 2010).

The ‘abnormal’ time consciousness and the feature of eternal change have far-reaching consequences for the very survival of the community. The community now faces the problem of irregularity of children at school often leading to a high rate of drop-outs, problems with timely repayment of loans from banks and other financial institutions, and the difficulty of young job-seekers to a regulated work schedule or life-style are but some examples (Mathew, 2001). This is attributed to their lack of time consciousness, as they normally follow the lunar calendar.   Fishing and associated activities of the Mukkuvar are determined mostly by the lunar calendar. The Sun has only a minimal role. On the other hand, most of the on-shore activities are controlled by a solar calendar, whether in the market and the office, or in the school and the church. It is natural that a fisherman fails to turn up exactly at 10.30 am at the school if the Headmaster calls for him. Illustrations are plenty. The dominant culture and its time-consciousness are heavily weighed against the Mukkuvar. Here comes the importance of grasping the elements of fisherman’s own worldview vis-à-vis that which is placed over against him in the complex world of today (Mathew, 2001).   

Economic Background

The Mukkuvars used Catamarans and long boats with rows (Vallam) for fishing purpose. They were very comfortable with these instruments and nets. They were well versed with the job they were doing. Their catch of fish would be good or bad but what many of them used to do is to drink alcohol and would not often bother about family. Some of them were very foresighted and would sell and export the fish which would gain much revenue. Now with the arrival of the machine boats Mukkuvars began deep sea fishing. This has brought about much change in the life style of the Mukkuvars. Their dress code is changed and their houses are turned from coconut leaves mud house into big bungalows and that has brought about proper self image about themselves.  Fishing is one of the oldest means of livelihood mankind developed into an industry of fisheries. Fisheries development has been assigned a very important place in the economic development plans of many nations. Just because these Mukkuvars go for fishing the Brahmin community and main line people debase this community as doing degraded jobs but if this community has not gone for fishing, Indian economy would not have grown so much and would not have brought foreign revenue ( (Maryraj, 2011). Yet the governments did not care for this community. Their demands for shipping port had been a dream for them that is why God has given them a natural port at Colachal. The historical recordings state that ships were anchoring for trading purposes from Rome, Persia and Europe and have exported sand from Manavalakuruchi which is used for nuclear power (Maryraj, 2011). 

This community has come long way in their struggle to stabilize themselves economically. The struggle continues against the new forms of marginalization in the name of caste and creed with the new titles of globalization, liberalization and market economy. In 1960 the government of India had brought about modern technology into the traditional way of fishing. This plan was called as Indo-Norwegian Project and it had introduced nylon nets instead of the thread nets of old. It introduced mechanized boats instead of catamarans. Often when the government implements its plan it does not consult the community and the same happened here. Using nylon nets in Norway is ok because it is a cold country and the nets are laid for catch the fish will come near because of the heat of the nets. India is a hot country and so the sea, using these nets had ecological repercussions. The government puts in capital in every plan but the fisher community which gives enough revenue to the nation does not have enough security. If the economy of the nation be improved, the fishing community needs to be given attention and financial aid not leaving to the MNC trawlers to eat up even the eggs of the fish from the sea and making our sea very  non fertile and futile (Thivahar, 2010).

Hard working fishers’ community is in transition. There is progressive increase in the number of mechanical boats. These boats are however of small and medium types, suitable for inshore fishing only. There is an increase in number of educated trained human power (fishermen/women) employed in the industry. There is also a progressive improvement in the infrastructure for fishing production of ice, cold storage, processing, transportation and boat building. All these improvement brings the community into well being.

Women in the community

The women have a high status in the society of fishing community.  In the erstwhile Travancore state, only the Mukkuvar women and the women in the palace could wear the top, not the others. When Congress formed the government in the state of Tamilnadu after Kanyakumari was included in the state from Kerala on 1 November 1956, the first female minister was from this community in 1957. Her name was Lurdhammal Simon (Constentine, 2010). Yet dowry system is not eradicated from this community and even the highly qualified and educated people give and receive dowry. Women have stopped the liquor making and selling in these villages. Women are a great power; they organize rallies to fight for the rights of the fisher community.  When some women used to go to sell fish to support the family, the grandmothers take care of the infants and when they cry they used to sing and console them but if the infants continue then the grandmother would take the infant to any other woman who is breast feeding children and she would breast feed the infant. Thus, the small children have been taken care by many women and the grownups used to be grateful to those persons and they are well knitted in the community (Maryraj, 2011).

The women make the nets for the fishing. They would be given threads of different kinds and used to make the new nets which will be used in various seasons. Many of them are highly educated and hold good jobs so fishing has become some people’s job. They were very much attached to their tradition in terms of social customs and religious rituals but now the newer generation is in transition and is willing to change. Educational facilities are now available to this younger generation especially those who are willing to spend money. Also a new sense of determination is now evident among the community members about educating their children at any cost. This has become prestigious for them. On the whole women in this community have the upper hand even in decision making and enjoy freedom. It is worth mentioning here that on the Christmas day all women from the village would come and take bath in the sea and celebrate Christmas as a whole village family. At the time of marriage, property of the family is divided in order to give dowry to the girl. On the wedding day, the boy stays in the bride’s place for four days and then the girl is taken to the boy’s place. This great tradition still continues in the community.  

Social work experiments for the economic upliftment of the community

The first social work intervention was made in the community by the Church. Marianadu was a new settlement in 1960. Fifty families from the Mukkuvar community on the shore of the Arabian Sea in Kadinamkulam panchayat, 10 kilometer west of Indian Space Research Organization near Trivandrum city were brought and made to live together to experiment on a community development programme. Bishop Peter Bernard, then the Auxiliary of Trivandrum had bought 30 acres of land a few years before that. Here, he envisioned a new Mukkuvar community with fifty families selected from seven different overpopulated Mukkuvar villages. There were social workers from foreign countries and India, as guides and co-workers with these families, to help realize the vision of the Bishop. In 1977 this team of social volunteers moved from the Marianad Community Development programme to relay their vision and work experience to other fisher folk communities. They created appropriate NGOs and guided the social building up of all the fisher folks in Kerala under one-organization. Any social work intervention should lead the community to liberation and freedom which will enable the development and growth of the local community.

As discussed earlier, the leader of the community plays a key role in their lives. In every village the Catholic priest is everything for them, whether education, job, official work, managing the parish or problems, priest takes the precedence in their lives. The priests too have taken a lot of interests in their lives. The habit of savings, concern about future life began with the involvement of the priests. In order to raise the standard of living, the priests have organized Trivandrum Social Service Society (TSSS) and in Kottar diocese through Kottar Social Service Society (KSSS) several activities. This organization KSSS helps the fisher folk to get fair price for the fish and prawns they bring from the sea. The fisher folk are able to take loans from them or get nets and other instruments that are needed for fishing. Thus, the life style of the people is strengthened by the Church based social activities. Various projects like pearl rearing, crabs-rearing give inspiration to the community. Earlier the women folk were at home doing nothing except spending time in gossip. The Catholic religious nuns have involved them in spinning nets for fishing, embroidering and so on. Time for gossip has taken less time in life and work has made them serious. Women folk are no more an object of laziness but they have become earning members in the families.   

ANALYSIS

Has their freedom been enhanced?

When one speaks about the economic development of this community in the present socio-political and economic context, development or underdevelopment are consequential direct effects of socio-political and economic policies of governments. Sometimes the lack of substantive freedom relates directly to economic poverty, which robs people of the freedom to satisfy hunger or to get sufficient nutrition, or to obtain remedies for treatable illnesses, or to be adequately clothed or sheltered, or to enjoy clean water or sanitary facilities, to have proper education and health care facilities or to have the effective maintenance of local peace and order. The violation of freedom also results directly from the denial of political and civil liberties by authoritarian regimes and from the imposed restrictions on the freedom to participate in the social and economic life of the community (Sen, 1999). To keep freedom at center of development, there are two reasons: evaluative and effective.  The assessment of progress has to be done primarily in terms of whether the freedom that people have is enhanced. The effective reason of development is to assess whether the achievements are dependent fully on the free agency of the people (Sen, 1999). So development consists in the removal of various types of non freedom that leave people with little choice and opportunity to exercise their reasoned agency “Liberation calls for freedom from many different kinds of slavery in the cultural, economic, social and political spheres, all of which derive ultimately from sin, and so often prevent people from living in a manner that befits their dignity” (Ratzinger, 1984, p. 36). Social work experiment should not be focused on the economic development alone but it is to do with over-all development of the community.

The Role of Religion:

Kalpana Ram focuses on religious phenomena in her treatment of the cultural construction of the Mukkuvar community which is of great importance. After stating that the self image the Mukkuvar have constructed is based on their relation to the sea rather than to the land. Their relation to the sea is not a material relation as such: it is dominated by a religious conceptualization of the sea and of nature in general. Such conceptualizations are remote from the mind-body dualism of Western philosophy. Mukkuvar religion is this worldly, without being merely pragmatic; it focuses on the physical environment without ceasing to be mystical and transcendental (Ram, 1992). Discussing the religious consciousness of the Mukkuvar, Kalpana Ram highlights the tensions not only between them and the Hindus, but also between popular Catholicism and the official church. She illustrates, referring to the cult of the Virgin Mary, the way popular Catholicism of the Mukkuvar borrows from certain strands of Hinduism and oversteps the boundaries of the institutionally-based doctrines of the Chruch. Their concept of the Mata is not merely the valorised form of feminity as found in the official representaions of the Church, but also acquires certain features that closely resemble the Hindu village Goddess. This concept of Mary as a goddess is not in keeping with the official teaching of the Catholic Church.  Both nurturing mother and the Eseki-model of female power are juxtaposed in the Mata. The Church’s representations of the Mata are further challenged by the subterranean presence of Hindu spirits and the malevolent Eseki who brings disease and misfortune (Mathew, 2001). 

P T Matthew brings his findings after doing  research. The predominant identity of the fisherpeople, including the Mukkuvar, is a religious one. It is difficult to understand their cultural universe except in relation to religion which plays a major and influential role in their lives. The religious conceptions of the fisherpeople seem to be constructed basically on their relationship to the sea rather than to the land; in other words, the marine habitat and the fishing occupation play a key role in shaping their religious worldview. Even though the fisherpeople have been converted to Christianity or Islam during the past few centuries, religious elements of the pre-conversion heritage persist in their present-day religion (Mathew, 2001).   

Mechanization of fishing craft:

It cannot be denied that technologies like mechanization of fishing crafts and introduction of bottom trawling is powerful, but greatly destructive.  These modern technologies scoop up the entire fish bed, right from young ones to giant.  Hence, renewability of sea with new recruit has been lost and at the same time scooping unwanted organisms also has broken important links of this food chain of the marine ecosystem.  Today when the whole world is speaking about the environment and climate change, it is hard to believe that sea bed is destroyed and no one seems to bother about this environmental harm which is done in a wholesale manner . Fish egg is destroyed with this mechanism and people do not get good fish and fish disappear from our coast.  

Traditional fishermen used catamaran and eco-friendly nets, which capture fish of specific size.  They have understood the breeding season of fishes.  In Kanyakumari District it is often described as Thethu.  There are four Thethus or seasons according to the availability of fish, water current, wind direction and the colour of the sea water and accordingly fishermen go to the sea.  This has given the margin to fishes to breed and to grow.  By this naturally new recruits and renewability in the marine environment is possible.  This approach never depleted fish biomass in the marine environment.  Because of this, time and again, traditional communities are insisting on the total banning of trawl net (bottom trawlers) and insist on the regulation of fishing during breeding season.

What is special about fish?

Fishes have their own form of communication, only one does not understand it, affirms Markos a fisherman from Vizhinjam. One person who has researched into the psychology and the way in which communicate is Panidasan. He is familiar with the timetable of each fish variety, which he considers the secret of his getting plenty of fish every day. The main meals-time of fish is between 3.30pm and 6.30pm. It is then they feel hungry, and so swallow the bait readily. Around 5.00pm is the peak time of eating. After 6.30 fish normally do not eat anything, Panidasan affirms. Based on such knowledge Panidasan had been cultivating paru (reef under the sea that serves as breeding ground/shelter for fish) by carrying a couple of boulders in his boat while going fishing and depositing the same at the same spot every day. The same spot also became for him a rich fishing ground in course of time, without the knowledge of others. Today the scientific community has acknowledged the ecological importance of cultivating paru on the seabed (Mathew, 2001). Floating on the waters in the open sea fishermen are very much at the mercy of the wind and the current, which vary significantly according to times and seasons. Their pattern determines the behavior of fish and hence the fishing operations itself, and consequently the very life of the Mukkuvar (Mathew, 2001). It is very disheartening to see the way the eco system is destroyed by the bottom trawlers.

Why development projects have failed?

The development project have not solved the basic problems of poverty and their causes, as poverty is linked with deprivations in cultural, social, political and economic areas. Critical analysis has shown that the failure to link poverty with deprivations in other areas as the cause of the failure of the developmental projects in India. So attention in the development process has shifted to improving the human condition, especially with focus on realizing power relationships so that poor people can pursue their just demands with the government and with society at large (Sommer, 2001). This is the activity of allowing the Mukkuvar community to claim its due share in the political, cultural and economical processes in development. To achieve this, certain requirements are to be put in place. The requirements are the presence of a committed and charismatic leadership, organization, social movements connected with socio economic schemes. The leadership may come from within the subjugated group or one with higher education from outside the community. The programs should go through in spite of opposing and pressing temptations from various corners.    These leaders  would experience losses of economic, social and political status due to the empowerment of the deprived groups at least for a period when the newly claimed share in power is sustained. This process could force the losers to grant freedom, not out of their compassion or humiliation, but out of free will based on the grounds of human dignity such as solidarity, equality, brotherhood and nation-building. The empowered community has the responsibility to contribute to the building of the nation as well as to construct the social infrastructures, welfare schemes; health care institutions and make the political decisions to safeguard their interest in socio-economic and political areas. The empowerment as enhancement of a community is a continuing historical process with awareness, organization, and enjoyment of life with freedom, cooperation with other communities, mutual building up and development.

The social set up:

The social set up of Mukkuvars is quite different from that of other castes. Their cultural background is different from the Paravas. Both the communities are fisher folk but there is diversity in their way of fishing. There are often fights between the communities because of the difference in their method of fishing.  The paravas are known for deep sea fishing at the same time Mukkuvars are known for shallow water fishermen. Mukkuvars do different kinds of fishing with different nets but Paravas fish some particular seasons. Both are strong people who work hard to keep up the family going. When one looks at Mukkuvars, they are naturally technically minded people. They go to other countries to learn modern way of fishing. When they come back to their native they implement all their advanced way of fishing. On the other hand Paravas are having big boats because they are interested in deep sea fishing. The trend may be different now due to advanced scientific progress.

Today lots of changes have taken place due to the involvement of education and awareness program. Progress in style of fishing has changed the life style too. Earlier they depended only on the income of the sea. Only if they went for fishing they would earn their daily bread, if not they starve. But today various sources of income are prevalent among the community.

Their adventurous attitude has led them to buy land or build good and huge houses which were earlier never thought off. Their daily struggle with the sea has made them to take tough steps in life. Today their children compete with other caste people in education, having prestigious jobs and so on. Attitude is one of the main aspects that we have to take into consideration. The fishermen go to the same sea for fishing but only a few people have the knack of fishing efficiently. As a result, some come back with large quantities of fish, whereas others come back with little.  This leads to jealousy and often women folk at home begin quarrelling for no apparent reason. If one analyzes keenly the reason for their conflict, one will find jealousy as the root cause.

Problems of marine products export                                

For many years the Mukkuvar community has been exporting marine products to other nations which brought about much foreign revenue to India. Now there are several problems caused by the deficiencies of planning and implementation and the government policies and procedures. There are also problems arising out of lack of commitment on the parts of exporters because the fisher folk rely upon these exporting industries. There are usual problems associated with the import policy and procedures for the import of technology, equipments and materials. Some exporters are not convinced themselves of the economic benefits of switching over to the International Quality Federation. The traditional importers who were reprocessors/repackers preferred the block frozen product and therefore it was easier for the Indian exporters to sell the conventional product than the International Quality Federation product. Marketing needs greater skills, efforts and resources. Many Indian exporters lack the skill, resources or willingness to take risk, they remain suppliers of the product required by the foreign importers of the product required by foreign importers rather than international marketers in the management sense of term (Korakandy, 1994). This problem hampers the economic growth of the fisher folk.

Changes in outlook

The Mukkuva experience reveals how Catholicism reduced the Mukkuvar to mere objects or consumers during the past three and a half centuries of their religious history as masses to be converted, as neophytes to be instructed, as Christians to be managed. However the process of reshaping their religion enabled them to effectively deal with the contradictions or incongruities emerging from the encounter between the two religious traditions with divergent worldviews. All through its Christian history the Mukkuva community was trying to assert itself as real subject of its religion. As subjects they were both creators as well as interpreters of religion. This is evident in the two sub-processes involved; first they dared to reread and reformulate the Christian Scriptures, practices and doctrines to suit the concrete needs and thought patterns of the neithal context. Second they brought along elements of their neithal religion into their practice of Catholicism. In the former they became interpreters of a tradition, while in the latter they have been the original creators. The Mukkuvar, with their specific religious experience and faith heritage, thus remain the subjects in both the processes. If the term theology can be freed from the monopoly of armchair professional theologians then the Mukkuvar can be grassroots  theologians at the primary level.

This reshaping was at the same time a subtle form of protest and rebellion against the manifest form of Catholicism that failed to recognize their life concerns. Religion, whatever the mode is power to transform the lives of the people. Manifest religion tries to keep this power away from the masses or takes it away altogether. Latent religion on the other hand brings power closer to the masses; hence it is essentially empowering people and so liberating people. Here lies the radical nature of latent religiosity for any marginal people. Two related concepts that would help understand the phenomenon better are total experience and total history. To make religion comprehensible within the community’s horizon of experience is a dominant concern. They do not understand religion as occupying a corner of their total space; nor can it be cut up into sacred and profane. It permeates every space and every activity of their daily life whether at the sea or on the shore. Fishing is as religious an activity as going to church, or even more. Cheluparachil is a ritual evaluation of a fishing operation by the crew members that brings together the satisfaction or frustration of a day’s work on a plane that is both secular and sacred. A life that is fighting with the fury of the ocean and of the sharks may not be able to imagine a religion that speaks only of peace and an otherworldly future. Concern with total experience makes Mukkuva Catholicism a religion of everyday life rather than one of Sunday obligations. That is why the same people who stand as mere spectators in the Sunday church, sing and sway young and old alike as they pull the kampavala (net) ashore,  (Mathew, 2001).

Politically the Mukkuvar community is now taking the lead and many have come forward to stand for the panchayat election. They need to be more encouraged, guided and supported so that their voice and grievances will be heard in the state government and central level.

Education is good and many have come up in life and hold fantastic jobs. Many who are educated do not go for fishing thus number of fishermen who actually catch fish are decreasing. Their skills are not utilized and there are not much skill training given to all who go fishing. 

Suggesting Areas for growth through Social Work Intervention

Having described the history of the Mukkuvar community and the different and distinctive background of its very own it is also proper to propose some social work interventions for the sustainable development of this community. The governments of both central and state need to ensure that the rights of fishermen are preserved and that they are provided at least nominal healthcare facilities. There are only very few Primary Health Centre in these areas. It will be good to have preventive health care measures in these areas. Age old practice of delivery at home is still on and it will be proper to have some maternity homes in some of these villages. These people have some scientific mind and because of this they are good at country medicine. It will be appropriate to encourage to alternate therapy and aurveda in these area. Health facilities are extremely important.

Preservation of environment is the biggest struggle right now at the global level. The struggles of the fishermen are synonymous with the struggle for the preservation of the environment. The greatest and prominent asset of Mukkuvar community is its accumulated knowledge about fish, fish habits, waves, currents and stars which they have through generations of learning by doing are handed down from one generation to another. Ignoring this valuable knowledge and selling the sea to the companies will do more harm to the fisheries and artisan fishers. Harming the natural resources such as destroying fish bed by the giant trawlers need to be stopped. When everybody speaks about climate change and sustainable development one must take the fisher community into consideration.

The families of the fishermen should be educated about their rights. They have to take up continuous struggle for their rights. They should have proper political representation in order that their grievances are heard. They should enter into party politics to get support to voice their opinions. They need to network with the fishers’ communities in the nation and join hands together to stand for their own right. On the open seas for days and sometimes weeks at a time – with shoddy living conditions, little time to rest, spoiled food to eat and sometimes, mistreatment by the ship’s crew or captain. That’s often the plight of the millions of men and women who make a living from fishing. More Fishers die on the job than workers in almost any other profession and sometimes, instead of receiving a just wage, they’re given a share of the value of the fish they help catch. And that can mean nothing. So they should be saved from the big merchants who cheat and the giant ships which destroy their boats and nets. India has a long coastline of about 8000 kms which is inhabited by over 6 million fisher folk. For centuries fishing community has exploited this vast ecological niche, home to a variety of marine organisms in the inshore waters, providing coastal and inland villages with an inexpensive source of protein, while maintain self sufficient life style. India has declared a 200 mile Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) wholly in the Indian Ocean, with sovereign rights for exploring and exploiting the living and non-living resources of the sea. Hence the government should not burden these poor fishermen with more and more rules and restriction for their livelihood. There should be ban on the harmful trawlers and mechanized boats in the monsoon which is the breeding season of fish.

As characterized by Soosa Packiam, Archbishop of Trivandrum that no one will deny that, the course and mode of life of the people living along the coastal belt are decided by the vagaries of the sea. However, fisher folk toiling and moiling all night under a star studded sly or braving the perils of a turbulent sea on a dark moonless night are presumably very close to God (Felix, 2009). The fisher community listens to the religious leaders and therefore the priests need to be educated about the struggles of this vulnerable community. A curriculum has to be taught in their seminaries drawing lessons from Liberation Theology. If they are knowledgeable then they can help the community to lead their own struggle. Here one should never forget the vigorous part played by the priests like Thomas Kocherry, James Culas and others. They only can help to make the faith of these people action oriented.

Although there are highly educated people in this community, yet girls education need to have a big step forward. There should be new policies and schemes which will give more adequate training to the fisher people who are actually involved in fishing. If there are doorstep schools or sea shore reach out schools which will help many adult who are drop out from the school due to economic constraints it will serve the community better. This may be done in the evening when the fisher folk sit and mend their net on the sea shore. This will help them to safe guard themselves from the middle men who exploit them due to their simplicity and their inability to work with numbers and accounts.

The fisher folk have often become prey to the natural calamities but often it was overlooked by the Governments. It was Tsunami which turned the eyes of the Governments and Nongovernmental Organizations to the cause of the fisher people. Often the fishermen lose the sight of the direction and it will be helpful for them to be guided with modern equipments such as computerized machines.  

High dowry system in this community brings about many problems. It would be good that some social work intervention is done to eradicate this evil practice which brings about so much inequality and unpleasantness among the poor fisher folk. This is an exclusive community and inter-caste marriages are still not encouraged and it is the time to intervene and broaden the mind set of this community in this regard.

Fisher folk live in the providence of God and spend the earnings lavishly and it is important that they get into the habit of saving and so that there is security for their future. It will be good if the NGOs help or the religious groups help them to begin SHG groups and save the community financially.  

Conclusion

A submissive community has now become assertive through their participation in the struggles for the common good of all fishermen whether in the church or the state. In every aspect changes have occurred as the community has learnt its history and committed to grow. Many youth are well educated and have gone for other jobs whereas others have learnt the modern technology and improved their income by translating their knowledge into practice. The one thing which is very obvious in this community is the belongingness and fraternal caring which is much prevalent among the people. The main intention of writing this paper was to make known to people that there is a community existing in the southern tip of India and had a glorious past and still grope to find their own identity in this modern world amidst many struggles. Still the community has experienced changes in different spheres of life: economically, educationally, culturally and religiously. Over all development is inevitable for a healthy community and the social work interventions will help the community to meet their expectation. It will be proper to end this paper on a positive note that this fisher folk community is hard working and out spoken. They are not calculative and cunning and that makes them very trustworthy.  

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