Rekha, the first and only woman who obtained a deep sea fishing license in India, is now making a living by collecting oyster from the shore. She earns Rs 60 for a large basket full of oyster shells. She manages to take care of her family including husband and four daughters with this job. ‘On some days, I keep searching in the sea for many hours but would not be able to fill even one basket,’ the 40-year-old woman said. Her life took a different turn after her husband Karthikeyan developed a heart disease. Rain havoc, trawling ban and lockdown also were barriers for her. When Rekha obtained deep sea fishing license in 2016, it had made headlines in the national media. She accompanied her husband while fishing in the deep sea and was hailed as a symbol of women empowerment and dignity of labour. Rekha’s house is located at Ethayi in Engandiyoor in Chettuva. The house is always under threat of high tides and rough sea. However, the family still lives there.
Hailing from Koorkenchery in Thrissur, Rekha shifted to the coastal area after marrying Karthikeyan, a fisherman. She had completed Plus Two and Hindi Vidwan course before marriage. Though she was not familiar with sea before wedding, it became part of life later. For deep sea fishing, they have to move at least 50 kilometres in the sea. There should be minimum 3 people in the boat. Rekha’s husband and a helper will be in the boat with her. Meanwhile, Karthikeyan was diagnosed with heart disease and fishing was stopped as per the doctor’s direction. They arranged surgery and treatment at Kottayam medical college. But the surgery was postponed after the second wave of pandemic intensified. Rekha and Karthikeyan have four daughters. Eldest one Maya was married off. Anjali, Devapriya and Lakshmipriya are the younger ones.
Mathrubhumi 2021.