The pictures tell the tales of Sita, a dry fish seller of Kasimedu, that of Rajakumari, the Irula fisherwoman of Cuddalore who lost her child in the tsunami, and of other fishers — the largest occupational group in the State.

Clicked by Rm.S. Somasundaram and Abha Muralidharan as part of ‘Ek Potlee Ret Ki / Kaani Nilam’, the photographs on display at the Chetpet eco-park capture the essence of the fishing community. ‘Kadalaadu Kaadai’ will be on display till December 25.

Radhika Ganesh, founder-member of ‘Ek Potlee Ret Ki / Kaani Nilam’, said the collective was working with cultural identities in five States in the country.

Along with photographs of the fishing community, narrating their lives and livelihoods from Ennore to Kanniyakumari, they have had also documented the devastation caused by Cyclone Gaja, she said.

Mr. Somasundaram said the series began with their work in Cuddalore about children being involved in caste-based issues.

‘More of a family’

“Over a couple of months, we found that as a community, the fishers liked to identify themselves with their occupation rather than their caste. They work as a family irrespective of where they come from,” he explained.

Ms. Muralidharan, who quit her job with a lifestyle magazine to work among the common people, explained that a lot of stories came out of their documentation. “Some photos remain etched in my mind. For instance, there was something very sad about this one photo of a man. When we meet people, we talk to them and try and mingle with them, drawing them out,” she said.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Chennai / by Special Correspondent / Chennai – December 24th, 2018