Every day thousands of artisanal and small- scale fishermen in the Bay of Bengal embark on fishing trips to earn their livelihood. Some of them driftfor what seems to them to be an eternity - and end up in alien land. A few Robinson Crusoes survive the ordeal and return. The trauma of uncertainty their families face when they are missing, can well be imagined.
What about fishermen who perish in the seas, leaving wives and children shell-shocked and almost destitute overnight? The families' misery unfolds immediately: no savings, no alternative means of livelihood, few income opportunities. The families either migrate to urban areas to take up menial jobs, and are cruelly exploited; or they beg for a living. Some, crushed by debt to money lenders, become bonded labourers..read more