hE W SOCIAL MOVEMENTS: A CASE STUDY OF THE NATIONAL

FISHWORKERS FORUM

I his chapter <llnl:i at studying the National I-'ishworkers' Forum

(NFI ) ri~id 11s il~tivi[~c:i at loeal. national and international levels in such a

wa:y ;IS I ( $ dccipller tilt: mcchan~sn~s by which movements like NFF provide

alternate. accoun~s ot illternational relations. The NFF was fonned in 1978

as an urnhrella i~rgan~si~t i t~n of ~a r ious independent trade union movements

that ecorved I I I respt'nse to rhc ~nodernization process in the fishing

indus~r) in the coas1;11 hi:lt 01' India in late 1960s and early 1970s.' This

case \tuJ? dcalb witti (he histor! of the movement that spread over the last

three dctades. I he c\olution 01 the movement is looked into in three

differen' itages ['he lirst stagc of the development of the movement saw an

arraq 01' 1 , xal tuponscs ol'the tratlitional fisheries sector.

' I h . 1 i r k \love,w~,nl in In(ii<~ (Kochi. 199 1) p. l ; see also l i e i i l c ~ l . h lenoi l . "Pl~iiidering t l ic Sca: C'urbs on Trawling, to Marine Resources". I n I i 198')). I I - I I holnas Kocherry, "Protect Waters. Protect L,ilc". 1~1otzrr~~r~ r 1989 I . pp 4-P.

I he li1\1 dc<,ldt. ot tlic Somation of the NFF witnessed the

movcnlcnt'i o p p o s i t ~ ~ ) ~ ~ lo rncchanisation of the fisheries sector, and in this

period. cliff'ercrr~ loc;ilitic.s in ticrala hecame hotspots of clashes between

thr tratllt~onal \ccto~ .ind thc mechanized ~ e c t o r . ~ The caste and religious

base ol the ira~I~tion.il tishing population provided a new organizational

framcuork out .i)f thc tradition'il political parties and their class base. The

period ,,I\+ I lol~.nt cl,rshcs bet\\cen caste groups and the industrial sector in

fisher~e\ I he church 5tcppcd 111 . ~ s a representative body of the traditional

fishu<)rhcrs and i t trkcil to f o r ~ e .I concrete organisational structure for the

fisher pcoplc. '

l i e sxoird 1 I the movement from 1984 to 1997 is

character i\ed b! the ,.\ oluliou 0 1 ,I national network. I'he NFF was keenly

invol\ctl , n struggles . 1 0 alter \talc policies in the fisheries sector in various

parts ot' India. I'he si;~tl: \ \as a nrgjor focus of attention in its mobilisation

and protc\ts dur~ng t h ~ , period. 111 the context of the globalisation process,

the t ishi~~g comrrlunit! hced ne\\ threats from the factory fishing methods

' John h~i r ian . --Over I i,h~ng / \ l c q Kerale Coast. Causes and Consequences", ; ~ o t I 1 i i 1 k Lol.15. N0.35 & 36. (1990). pp.2001 1-018; also see blittlle~ t\crihayil ~ ~ ~ i . \ i z ~ ~ o r k < ~ i . ~ :lfircrnew/ in Keralo (1977-1994) The Role of ' ;2; )n ~ ' ( I Y I I i'oii/i~(i/ 1 ) P ~ I ~ I ~ . \ u I I O I ~ . \ in ltldiu (New Delhi. 2000), pp.36-52: Jose K a l c ~ h ; ~ l cr ili I k u .Sdit~~r~rl~k(~~lli~i i I hiruvananthapuram. 1988). pp. 13-20.

' Me11<1n 11.1. p 5 , .llx) ,<ct: bandana Shiva. -'l'he Violence ot'the Blue Revolution", R( I~ ( I .~ / I ' I~ I I I l ' t ~ / / i ~ ! k ( ~ ( I <)<MI,

unlei~slicd bj ilanst~;clional frawlcrs. Ileep-sea fishing by such big vessels

threatened the \ ery rt::.r~urce base of traditional fishing communities.

I he acccleraictl process of globalisation and the wider influence of

trans-na~ronal cnterpllsc!l in the fishing sector demanded new linkages of

stru~glc, .. at the glohril ,. level.' S~ructural reforms. adjustment policies and

privalisation itlIernpI: initiated by governments at the behest of

international tin;~nci;~l institutions resultcd in the opening up of the seas for

transnal~onal tisliing ?:iants. (~lobal resistance by organised moveinents

were fi)~liid to bc the c.l'f'ectivc \\ii! to confront the new situation.' The third

stage of the de\cloprncnt ot'thc NFF spanning the 1990s was characterised

by thc trans-na~~onal~/ation 01 the movement with the founding of the

Worltl \,,>rum ot't'ish I lar\:esters dnd Fish Workers (WFF) in 1997.

l tlc stud! of ~l-tc cvolutiori of the NFF. from local to global levels,

provide5 an opportu~rity to reconsider traditional IR scholarship and to

retlcc~ upon the \ignilicar~ce ol'social movements and the non-state realm

in IR. I ' I i [urn Propelled by rnovelnents in the arena of global

1 Scc h. \ I 'l'honiii\(eJ i , 1)elriln:: 11 i i i ~ /kc UIllc Ret'olufion ( I'hiruvalla. 1994).

' Ian Ha~rd. ' - I l l c Iti\ir~~ri~nen~:ii and Social Costs of [leveloping Costal aqi~act~lrure i n :\sia' ill .l-homa\. n.4. also see Douglas Cross, "FA0 and Aquacul ture tJiinJs ;111:1 I'olitic\ 111 At'ric~l". The Ecolo,qi.st Asia Vol.1. No.3 (1993)

politich. thus. cnablc,:; u:; to lint1 out the linkages between IR theory and

new sol-lo1 mo\utnent\ (NSMs)

he uill takc up the case study by a~~alysing the stages of

devcloplnent o l the NI'I ineritloncd above. The local, national and global

levels ol its opetation cannot hc ti-cated as unconnected realities; rather they

meet aild solnclltnes cl\~erlap in all stages of N F F s cxistcnce. l'hese stages

shou ~ 1 1 ~ . inam trends I r l the cvoiution arid growth ofthe movement.

The Evolution of NFF: The Local Dimension

I he ti~rn~:ttion of National Fishworkers' Forum (NFF) in 1978 was

the net rcsult of the ncr\)Iy emerging trends in the fisheries sector from 1976

onwards I'hcre \\ere constant clashes between traditional fisher people and

those \\llo OLVII or ijpcrate tra\\lers in India. In order to protect the

tradition.11 sector lroln ihc onslausht ol' the mechanised sector, traditional

fisher-tl)lk of Kcrala came togcther and led many agitations in 1977 at

T h i r ~ ~ ~ a l ~ ; i r ~ t h a p u ~ ~ a m . k.ollarn ant1 Alappuzha. In Januaq 1978, leaders

from dillerenl lisher-peoplet> t~rsanizations in India met in Madras.

Mathan) Saldanlla and Xavier I'in~o. leaders of two N(.?Os working among

the tishtrpeoplc o f ( r c ! m look the leadership in convening this meeting. This

meetlng .;ah tht biflh t)fthe NfiI- 6

I he N k I is .I lkderat~o~l of state-level registered trade unions.

Fish\\or!-.ers. both mcri and women. working in mechanized crafts and non-

m e c h a r ~ ~ ~ e d cratis, fish ~endor s and thosc who are working in marine and

inland scctors arc ent~tled to heco~ne mernbers of the Forum. There are two

kinds ol inemhcl-ship I I I the NFt . I ) a registered trade union with more than

500 inernhers ol lish\\orkers is ent~tled to become a member of the Forum; 2) a

group at fish\+orken \\orking io~?cther .. with the intention of becoming a

registerctl trade anio~r is entitled lo obtain individual membership for two

of their ofticial\ I'herc \\ere e l e ~ c n spate-level trade unions as members of

the Fo r~ in~ during its 101.nlation.

A historical an;ll\~sis ot'the working the National Fishworkers Forum

gives a new insight into thc ideology. politics and the base of the

8 movenlclll. 'lhcrc arc thrc~: major phases in the evolution of the movement.

The tirsr phase I \ hat ol'the fi)r~native years ofthe NI:F liom 1978 to 1984.

A stud> {bl'the local d>na~nics the evolution and growth of the Forum

- - -~ ~~~ ~

5 Kociicir\. rr i

7 Brochtirz issued hy tk1,- V t ' l ' . l'hirutt~nanthapuram. n.d. i See lo,', Putlicr~tet-du : I i c Thuolo,yi r~f'thr F?.vl~rrrncm (Kollam. 1985). p.67

pro\ ~ d c \ ~ n s l g h ~ \ into tlow a blend of new trade unionism and new social

Inovclncnts has becr~ li>rmed in order to effect transformation of local

situatiot i:..

I l ~ c bachgrounti of thc ti)rlnation of the NFF in Kerala is that of a

long polltical and tradc union tradition of coastal villages, especially of the

Alapputlia district. 11 \\as in the late 1930s that a fishworkers movement in

Kerala \\..is inlt~aled Ircm the village Punnapra in Alappuzha district under

the lcatlcrship 01 Silnon Asan. n Latin Catholic Sunday school teacher."

Intluenccd b\i thc M;ir.xist ideology. he tried to spread class-consciousness

among ~ h c tisht.1-hlh in I'unnapra. Alappu~ha and Alnbalappuzha areas.''

He started an inlorn~<il cducat~on programme for the poor fisher people.

'Teacher\ are ger~erall\ called Asan in the colloquial language. Thus, the

name Slrnon >\\an bcc'lmc Len popular in Alappuzha region both for his

educatlondl and ctrgan~/at~onal contribulions."

I lli. l atin Chr~stians traditionally occupied the fishing village of

Punnapra. situateii near the Alappuzha town. Alappuzha is one of the first

industrial romnb In K~.r.ila. pop~ilarly known as the birthplace of the leftist

', M. I . ( 'nandra~lan. I I ~ I I ii~.<rlnr .l~,uiikkur?ntr -ldhyciyungc11 (Kottayam, 1990). [lp,.32-34

10 Put11ul)pally Ra~hava~~ . Sukhnvll I< Szcgurhun (Kottayam. 1999). p.67.

I ' A tclepiione in~crview \,.it11 K.f ' I'rakasharn. trade union leader. Communist Party ofl l idi i~ (CPI). hew 1)clhl. i Augu\l 2002.

I ' movclncilts in keral,i In fhe beginning of the twentieth century, a

nurnhcr i,l'tactot les c incr~ed herc in the 1930s, the trade union movements

started t)rganlrlilg \\orhers in tlic factories. The influence oE Marxist

ideolog\ on thc wclt.Lcr\ resulted in the formation of a boat workers

I union. [his ulllon h! the name --[ 'he Steam and Boat Crew Association",

registcrccf in I . \t;rs one 01 the early trade union movements in the

princel! state i ~ t ' I r;~vancorc After the famous left-wing revolt of

Punnapi-;I-Vayalar. this union disappeared from the scene."

S111ce the tratlit~onal tisherfhlk were under the yoke of communal

Icadershiy? dur~np thls frlne it \\a\ not easy to start a secular movement among

thern. Sl~rlon As;ui wr~)tc a piecc under the title 'fish workers union', in which

he addrc\\ed thc purpo,,e of lonn~ng ;I trade union.I5 During this time, the

church ~ll,trged ,I toll on its tish\\orkers. In the monsoon season, the people

were in ufter poberty ; t~ l t I thc church was not supporting them. The church took

a discri~rr~nato~ ,rant1 towards thr tishworkers and in favour of the feudal

power\ I r i tact. [he chllrch was ~e\tcd by many as the backbone of the rightist

-L - ~- - . ~ ~ ~-

12 R:a~fini:ln. t i . 1 1 .

I 3 C; .Ye~ luhu l aku~r i :~ r , I ( . I l',rrhro.~ hi~nthukkirrunum Bali.)/utl~im (Kottayam. 1996), pp, ?O. {(I. ( i n k1;ll.).

17 P r a h a r l ~ ~ ~ m . \\hr, nan~l-copietl ( h i \ .~rticlc. recaptured this title from his memories, n l I

elements. Ilowc\c.r. the expanding base of the left parties influenced workers

and conhcquentl! the\ iurned towards the left movements. In the context of

opinions .~nd expressiorls verq critical of the church. the church itself came

fonvard cxpresslns it \ 'willingness to organize the fishworkers. Simon Asan

understood that Ihis i\ould cause i:ommunalisation of' the situation and he

blocked .;uch 2111 attcinpl. Instead. hc initiated and registered a secular

movcmerll. lato. knout~ ;is the Ambalappurha Boat Workers union.l6 In

Punnapra. a lishworkcss inovcnient was started by raising working class

consciousness arltl this movement challenged the feudal lords' influence in the

coastal hclt. It mcrgeil ,"vilh the Punnapra-Vayalar struggle. In October1946,

after the IJunnapr;~--Va\ ;liar struggle. the Communist Party took the initiative to

register the .41nbalappuzha Malsya I'hozhilali Union, which worked

underground lor lllanq ?cars. 'l'hih \ u s the first registered trade union for the

, :' traditionai lishnorker\.

From thc itme of indepcndcnce to the late 1960s, the costal belt of

'rravancor.~ \\.as totall\ com~nun;~liscd and, as a result, secular political

parties lo.;t the11 hold alnong rhi: fishworkers. Christians. Muslims and

r)heeval.a:, (thost: bclonglng lo the caste of traditional fisherfolk) were

--- ~ ~-

11, Ch;lndr;r\en:~n. I: 9, prr l l .

17 l r i t e t ~ v ~ ~ ~ ~ . ~ with kC'.l3t:11. I'unnapl-a. '1 October 2001

orgarli/cd ticcording to the~r i,ommunity or caste base. The traditional

fisher-pcoplc 0 1 the I )hccvara community formed an organization called

Dheevirr,~ Mahtisabhi~ in 1960. Ihis movement was gradually politicised to

becomc , I polit~cal n-lo\/clncnt in I 970." The politicisation of the communal

rnovemeiit like 1)hec~'tra Mahahabha caused a division along left and right

I '1 lines. I he contmun;ilisation ot'thc coastal belt in later years gave birth to

I r t'uul \racl..;il. '" the then vicar of Punnapra St. Joseph Latin

Chtholic C'hurch. recayltured the tne~nories of unionisation of tishworkers

with thc present resr'lrchcr. i'on\tant clashes betwcen the traditional and

motor~~ei l fishc\orker\ firre the order of the day in Alappuzha. Sometimes

clasho s ,( currcd het\z cen brother\ trorn the same fdinily. One brother in the

tradit~on't~ ~uik1112 ant1 ~ h c other one in a mechanised boat fought each

other. t:islt resources graduall) tlcpletcd because of intense mechanization.

I he tcn,lon ~ncrcasctl due to the resource depletion. Sometimes, the

mechanlscd boat\ da~.i~agcJ the rict\ ot traditional tishworkers. -the church

I X Gahrielc 1)ietricl-I and ' v r i l i ~ ~ i N:i)ah. li.rm.sition or 7i.011.yfOr.rnc1tion: A Study of the . o h o n , tlr.~onr\~rcion imii' /<mergence of Consciousness Among the F I : S / I I ~ ~ O , ~ K ~ ~ . S of her(~1(1 1 ikl~~durai. ,1002). p. I 1 1 .

" 1ntervir.i; with t t . ~i trade union historian. AKG Centre, Thiruv:i~ anthapur.;~m. .'O 1)ccemher. .3001

20 A rr;~dc union r ~ : I prctetit. he serves in the historically important ArthunL;~l church

itself bec;nne dividecl (In the m,itter as the rift between boat workers and

owner\. \\ho ~vere or1 one side and artisan fisherfolk on the other, became

Inore intclise. I t \\as : r big. division betwecn the haves and have-nots. How

to tacklc this proble~~l became ii big question and it gradually led to the

unionisallon of tile people." 1.r I'aul Arackal initiated the unionisation of

the people in thc Pun~~apr-a Church. Ilis union is known as the Alappuzha

Latin ( ' (~ / i~o l i ( : 2/l(itsj.~ I i'hozhi/~I~ i inion .4ccording to him,

a hind ol ll.ud;ilism worhetl in the costal area. Workers were

t~~tally esploitt:tl bq the lords. Church was the only premise to

address t h ~ s prohlcm. One or two Satnilies en.joyed the whole

1;1nd and sea. I'his situat~on created a big tension in the

cl~i~rch. I'lie oirl\. vvay l i~ r me was to organize the traditional

\\ (~ rke r s~

Ilc . ho\\cver. ,warned th,it it should not mistaken for class-

consciousness and cl;is., srruggle. I'he movement was, by and large, against

the government and iiot against the social structure. Monsoon rationing,

subsiclie>. educa~~onal grants, crc were the agenda of the struggle. These

struggle>. kno\\lr as .I,'trrtini . l c i~ / r c i (Starvation March). provided a non-

?I Inlcr\ic.\\ mi i l l l%en,ia~iiin. mclnhcl I'unnapra St. Joseph Church. Punnapra, 14 C)ct<)hrr 200 I

2 2 Inter\~i . \ \ ~ i t h l r . I ' ; I L I I Aracki~l. trade union organiser and currently vicar of Arthii~ihal. ?X \ r o~c !~ i i I~~c~~ 2001

cotnmurl;rl plattorm I ( l r d colnntunity-based ~ r ~ a n i s a t i o n . ~ ~ This was the

first 111o\cment lorm~tf or1 a non-party basis and the Church was the leading

elerncnt in the inovell18-nt. Y ~ I . caste identity was also one of the serving

factors 1 t . r union~satiori. I atin Christian identity came to the centre stage of

political ~nobilizntio~a during s~lch struggles.

1 ccal situatiolis in diffkrcrrt parts of the coastal areas of Kerala and

the rest OF Indla wen: different. but there were similarities of issues the

fishertoll\ confronteci lr. Kanlakumari. a newly imported net making

machine was ir~stallcil with the permission of the central government,

which c,rused the lo\, ot lob lor hundreds of traditional net makers. This

led t o the unionisir~ion of rishworkers in Thiruvananthapuram and

~an~ak~ilnari!' Vechani~atior~ \crsus the traditional sector became the

7 5 major cause ot' union~satiiin in (;(la.-- I'hus from different local situations.

the similarity of prohlclns at tlil'krent sites led to the possibility of amiable

I r l thc case o? i'unnapra. the old feudal elements extended their

hegemon! to sectors ,.)I moderni/ation as well. lIowe\,er, modernization in

2 3 Interv~ci\ h i t h Shec~a Kosarii~. \\omen coordinator and executive committee rrreri~hc~. KSM 1 I . l ' l-iii-~r\ananthap~~ram. 22 July 2002.

2J Interv~civ w ~ t h Lalini ' uay~k . I hiru~ananthapurarn. 24 March 2002

lhid.

this L ~ \ C nab 11ot 511tti~1cnt clr able to challenge the traditional power

centre\ ibr to t r a n s t ~ ) n ~ ~ it. In lact. the feudal elements continued their

hzgemo~~\ through thcs ncw mean\ of production. Mechanization has been

conceplu,~l~sed d \ thc prclgres\l\c transformation of the traditional sectors

and peopic. I hc cxperlrncc of l'unnapra as well as many other parts of the

countn \howcd thiu n~odern~\a t~on worked against the interests of

I hc un~or~lsat~(ln of the local fisher people had been achieved in

man) pI,lces through(~ut thc Ic)60s and the 1970s. All these movements

were intlcpendent: N(. r( )s and sccial organisations etc. supported some. The

7ravarlcb)rc Soc1~11 SI:I\ IC'C S O C I C ~ \ and the Quilon Social Service Society

initiatcd [he fi)rnlat~or~ of tishertolh's co-operative societies during this time.

I'hesc co-operatnu societies hccamc the backbone of the unionisation of the

fishworhtrs. I'hcsc mo~cments \\crc not affiliated to any political party.27 This

political pos~t~on enahlcd them to ~aise the questions that traditional political

partie\ c r ~ ~ ~ l d nor <iddrc.\r

'" Sec I r I'aul IracAirI ..Llats);? Ihozhilalikalum Katholica Matsya l'hozhilali I l n i o n i ~ ~ i i " and ;tiso. t r . 'vltchael Iliekepalakal "Almayar Alappuzha Roopathail", in I:r. I'eiCr M. ('hcnap;~i.an~hil el 1 (eds.). .Silver Juhiler~ Souvenir: .4l~rppuzha K o o / ~ u / i ~ r (Ala[~l,uzh:i I '):'7). pp. \ 20-A2; pp.2 1-24.

27 Thl \ li;r.. been i.\empl~led-in ttlc llicsis "they are neither in left nor in right hut in fr.oltl" w e :\n<ltc (i~.~ntJcr Fratth and Marta Fuentes. -'Nine Theses on Social blo\c~~it:nts". in (~ihat~,li~aln Sh;~h. .Socirrl hfovements imcl'ihe Stcrte (New Delhi, 2002 ). 1 ' 1 7

I he chu r~h alliliation and Non-Ciovemmental Organisation (NGO)

network\ cnablcci thcsc rnovemcnts to form a national network in 1978.

The roic ot thc N(;( ), In soc~dl inovements and trade unions is a very

complex ~ssuc arrd it requires scpirrate and detailed investigation, a task that

is not unllertakc~~ heic I t is a d~tlicult task to conceptualise the difference

betwccn NCiOs an~i .iocial mo\cments. on the one hand, and social

movelnc1,ts and nun-~rotfltional trade unions. on the other hand.2"

A, noted a b ( , \ ~ . during the 1060s and the 1970s, a number of

fishuorh1.r~' trade untons uert. forrned with the church and caste as

significant organisa~~onal anchors. Even though all these unions

reprcscr~tcd the11 O \ \ I I local interests, the church and developmental

organl/iitions I I I the h1(;0 sector bound them together. The Ashtamudi

Kayul ,tlrrt.svtr lhoziiii'trli llniori was founded in 1969. In 1970, the

Alappi~:i~lr Dl.srr~~,t .'ll(ti.ci.n 7710.-iirlali Onion was formed. A number of

union\ l ~ h c the .l/~rppir:ir~~ (hr/~oi i ( Murs.ya Thozhiluli Unlon (1970), Kadal

Matsjtr ll~ozh~iriii 1 ~iiioii Kocl~t ( 1070). Vijayapuram Roopatha Matsya

Thozhritrit ' 7 1 11977). Piiiruvunar~thapuram Roopatha Matsya

2s See ! Z ~ I < I L I Sall. blich;~el 13ellicc;rii. Yalini Naqak. (~on~~ersu1ion.s: A Tritrlogue on Po~oi ln/er~,c,r,iion < r r r d ')rgorri.:irrion it1 F'i.sherics (C'hennai. 2002); and Capt. F.Jaciih Kao. "I~lilia'i. )'roposetl 1)ecp Sea Fishing Policy and the Ongoing Shrimp Farms- \ n 0 1 ~ 1 . 1 ieh ill lisher I'coples Perspective and Their Right to Life", in Tholii:i\ n.4

Thoz/zric:li ljwli~n 1, 1')73), .~ltrc~iiutlienjgu Boat Workers Union (1978),

Tlzirziv~~~ran/hu~>itrarrc .liiic~ Mclr,~~<r Thozhilali Union (1979). Kochi Mekhala

MLI~.SL.~I Thozh~lirli I I I ~ O I I (10791. and Ernukulam Jilla Matsya Thozhilali

Uniolr I 1982) wcre lormt:d sub~e~uen t ly .~ ' Fr. Dominic George initiated to

organizc the tishworl\srs of' thc Malabar region and formed the Malabar

S\yarirc~t~ihru Mufsycr 7!ro.~hiltrli 1.1~ion in 1982."' Even though initiated by a

priest. i~ was totally irce li.om thc church dominance. ,411 these movements,

except the Alappuzli;~ Catholic Matsya 'fhozhilali tinion, took up mainly

local tie\ cloprncl~t is:,c~s\

1 l l C Alup/)uzhil ('rrthol~c Mats-va Thozhilali Union addressed a

nunihcr ol'state--\hide (\sues. I t llatl a women's wing too. Samarakatha, the

official publical~c>n 01' suhsequcntly thrmed Kerula Swatlzanthru Matsya

Thozililtrii F'edrrrr~ior;'. produced a brief description of such struggles." One

of the m;gor deninnds vf the Alappuzha Catholic Matsya Thozhilali Union

since 1971 has hcen 10 irnposc restrictions on the mechanized boats.32 In

the succeeding >ears. t h ~ s became the tna.jor agenda of almost all traditional

~ ~ ~ ~.

:I,> tialech.~. n l . py. 18-I'! il0 C h~l.,41>1aharn. I :vh Li o,.kcr.\ I \ % I I . c ~ I L ~ ~ / in Kenlln (Mumbai. 1996), p.2 1 !I K;~Iech,~l. n.2. pi1 l3-.:0 ,,

lbid . p .'3.

fish\vorkers' nkovenlcnts: later those struggles were concentrating on the

issuc ol ~rawl ban.

I I I I 1978. the .A 1~/)/1ui/7tr ( 'crtholic Matsya Thozhilali Union was one

of lhc Icitding trade union rno\clilents in the traditional sector in Kerala. I t

changed its name to Lfrtin C'ci~iloiic. ,Matsya Thozhilali Federation (LCFF)

with I'r Paul \rack;~l .is l'rcs~dent and Joychan Antony Secretary. It

beca~ne the first natiorial bod! ol the lisliworkers movement from Kerala,

which +air1 changed 11s nanlc I < > Kerlzltr Swathanthru Matsya Thozhilali

E'edt>t.,rrri(~n (KSMTI,). A srnall group, under the leadership of Fr. Paul

Arackal split fi-oln I ~ C rnovclne~it and formed another group under the

churcl~ lc;idersh11\

'1 lie IYXOs was I.no\vn as the decade of the KSMTI: in the circle of

movemc,nts. I'he Federation go1 i ~ i d c national and international attention.

The slrugsles o l the Icderetiori \\ere considered to be a testing ground for

liberatio~i thcolory r l l Kcralti. I r l 1983. another split occurred on the

question of idctblog) I\ ne\\ Sroup called Akhilu Krrala Swathunthra

M a t . ~ ~ i /I~ozhili~li Union (KSM I I ) was l'onned under the leadership of the

then I'rehldent Albert l'risavil~i c l ~ l l l Bishop Joseph G. Fernandez. Fr. Paul

Arackal recollect that .'the idea of the statc-wide co-ordination of the

.. movelnent wah brouk:hl forth by Fr. 1)oininic George"." Fr. Dominic

Geory ,shared 111s itlc;j with other leaders and they tried to co-ordinate the

movci~lent statc- widi.

.\I the m n e t i~nc, a neL\ idea of a nation-wide co-ordination was

under ~ I . ~ C U S S I O I I in 1: tea. A large number oC fishworkers' movements were

alread) ~onstituted I I I inan! places outside Kerala. Such movements

becanie tneinhers o~ the National I'ishworkers Forum (NFF) from its

inccptioli in I9:'X

The Growth of NFF': The National Dimension

I l ~ e silua~lon I I I ' thc fisheries sector and the responses of movements

like the NFF; to he tlc\,elopmcnt\ in the sector cannot he seen in isolation

from thc all 1nd1a ciintcst. An cxarnination of the national context and

NFF' activities in si~clr a inilie~l r i important to see how nation-states and

I ~ O V ~ I ~ I C I I L S interi~ct \\ 1tI1 each other. ' lhc modernisation policies of Western

and In t l i ;~~~ goverrln1t:riIs and transnational agencies implemented through

the n;itiorial anti regional governments did have tremendous i~nplications

for thc fisheries secrol.. ~hereb? >truggles of movements like the NFF

became incvitabit.

~ ~.~ ~~

i ? Inter\,ic\\ n i t h 4rack;il. 11.23. a11d 1.:1I Koiparambil. trade union leader, Alappll/ha. .10 hoven~hcr :!001

1 1 1 lndi;~ s 6rnerles sector. Kerala's coastal belt is an extremely

signilicant cntltb. Ah noted bq Meynen. in fishing terms. Kerala is a very

signilicant region: ith I0 pel cent of India's coastline and 7 per cent of

India's ct)ntincnkal shell'. the state produced 24 per cent of the total marine

catch i r r thc 1980s aric! accounted fbr some 40 per cent of India's seafood

I exports. even tliougil the technological backup for the fisheries sector was

veq poor in thc stale I hereforc. the Food and Agricultural Organisation

(FA01 tlecidcd io pr-o~iide assist;~nce to the development of this economic

sector. I )ue to llle I ravancorc C'ochin Mechanisation and Aid Programme

(T.C.M. Aide I'rograi-nii~e). a small-scale mechanization happened in the state.

Ice Plar~c. werc itltrodiiced in Virhinjam and Kayamkula~n. Vizhinjam is a

coastal L illage arid K;i>.;lrnhularn i h an inland tishing area. FAO's Technical

Assislanil: Prog~trrunc nable led the setting up of a fisheries training centre at

Erniikulanl. I h c {.A(., hcnt experts to build fishing ports in Vizhinjam and

Beypore ' I'hls was [lit: tirst strp in the implementation of a planned

develop~iicnt schcine 111 t t~c fishrr~cs sector. The Indo-Norwegian Project

$4 Wichq Meyne~~. ..Fislli:r~~:s Dc\cloprnent, Resources Depletion and Political Mohilisation in heral:~ \ hc P r i ~ h ~ c ~ l l of Alternatives". L)evrlopmenl ond C'hrmnge, Vol I I 9 1 . 7 - : K 3 0

. ~. (IN[') \$rtnesscd its cu~mina t io~~ and this project needs to be investigated at

I t ~ c histo~y ot lrrtcgratcil t isheries Project goes back to 1952 when

the (i~)\cmmcnt of hotway. India and the United Nations signed a tripartite

agrecmcltr. I r Mas ag.t.ced that the (iovemment of Norway would assist the

(ioverntrient o l Indiir i r ~ carr?ir~g out a programme of developmental

projects I i ) eontr~hute 1.0 the fi~rtlicrance of the economic and social welfare

'11 of the people 01' lnd~;i I'he lV5(ls witnessed transnational intervention in

the irnplc~nenta~~on ( 1 1 develop~iient projects in the Indian fisheries sector.

After tht: signing ol the abotc tripartite agreement, the Government of

lndia and the (io~ern1111:nl of Nor\\ay prepared new project proposals to be

supportctl by the (io\ernl~ient ol' horbvay. Through an agreement signed on

24 J ~ I I I I ~ I Q 1953, 111,: INP li)r fisheries and fishermen community

develop~i~cnt at ileendiikara in tlic then I'ravancore-Cochin State came into

being. '1 lli. INP at Neeridakara \\as subsequently extended to Cochin. The

Kerala (~overnnicnt unclcr the supervision of the Govemment of lndia and

Norwegl;ri~ rcpresent;lrivcs adn~ir~istcred this Project until April 1963.

During tills time. the X'r~)ject W;I> extended to Tamilnadu and Kamataka. In

~~~

.: h http: 'ilphachi.ti~i.in/h~~:ol-\.litm

such a hrtuatioti. thc (;ocemment of India took over the administration of

the I'rn~cct. '

L4 ith thc development imperatives of the Government of India in the

context of asslstancc from transnational agencies and collaboration with

other countries. thcrc was the introduction of mechanization, training

centres. I I C M tylw o l ' r ~ ~ t s . etc. In a paper entitled "l'he Right to the Sea: The

Strugglc of' Arr~sanal [:ishers in Kerala since 1980", Peter Reeves, Bob

Pokrant. ant1 lilhn hAdiuirc obserbc that thc aim of the planned

developn~cnt en\ Isaged by thc (iovcmnlcnt of India in marine fisheries and

the a i~n , ~ f the IN!' \i.ere crnphasising on rnechanisation of boats and

>* 38 if thereby develop~ng ' a new approach to fishing and fish marketing .

mechan~sation was irr~r~;.)ducetl earlier by fitting motors to traditional craft,

the Nor\\zgians lountl ihis level of rncchanisation in Kerala unsatisfactory

and ins~llticicnt ['he r,:sult \\.as the introduction of European-type boats

with in--hoard irrotor\ under the auspices of the INP." he INP had

distributctl 88 b(~;tts i r ~ Kerala b! 1962 and the Department of Fisheries had

I X Petycr Kzivzs. 1k1h P>~hra~it. John McGuir-e. "l'he Right to the Sea: The Struggle ol' A t l~ \ ; l na l I:i\llcrie:., ~ I I Keral:~ \itlce 1080". htf[ ) : / /~lww.virgini~~. rdzi/-.sonsicr/ .syrn.w/ii ~ / , Y < I ~ I /~,i/)er.\ k~,ri11<121

distributed another ::!'i ''I Mathuri fieldwork in the late 1960s showed that

mechan~sation was tl11: key change that was visible among the Mappila

fishcnncn ol' north kcrala." With this shift to mechanisation throughout

Kerala c;une an iirgc li)r larger si/e units and a trawling approach to fishing

in dcepcl water5 thau the tradit~onal approach. Increase in productivity was

the slogan that ~levc.l~.)pment plat~ning in fisheries stressed. The National

Council of Applied t conomic i<esearchts Techno-Economic Survey for

Keral;~ 1 1 , the t x ly iOt'i(ls g;l\c ,I picture of a -'fishing industry moving

towards .ln almost conlplcte shili to a 'modem' sector".42

I hc (io\cmnrc~~l of lntlia's view was that deep-sea fishing was

essential rix the countrv's econo~nic development. It launched the deep-sea

fishing ,theme 111 191>2( \cith ;I \ lelv to raising the fish output and ensuring

motlcrni/;ition i n this x:ctor. IJrldcr this scheme. import of trawlers and the

entry ol large errterprl>,es were allowed in this industry. Before this, the

fishing i n India mas torall\ vested in the traditional fisher folk.43

I0 NC'4t K. 7 2 c h f 1 ~ ~ I ; c ~ ~ i i ~ ~ i ~ ~ r ~ ~ Sur\ q t New Dclhi. 1962), p.83 I I P.K.(; Ylathur. l lw i i ~ i i ~ p r i ( i b'i.\li~,~.iolk q/ Kerfllr: A .Stuily in Brlween Huhitul,

I n 1 1 o n ,S~cie/> , i r i , / ( '111t~ire (Thiruvananthapuram, 1977). pp. 3.50-04

-I? Sce. I . i n i ' ~ . i o k bi~rutn Reporr-lYY3 (Thiruvananthapuram, 19'13 I .

I he k 11th ir I \ t. Year I'l'ln adopted by the Government of India

during 1976-X 1 en\ ~iaged ma\ nnum exploitation of natural resources

includin~ the fisher! rcsourccs. I or this, the government introduced a new

fishcries polic\ As part ,if this the government declared 200 nautical miles

of thc \ca adjo~ning the countl? as an Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ).

The nc\\ deepwca iiv111rig pol~c\ announced by the government in 1976

"gener:nk~d :rvvarene\. among ~hc. o~erseas entrepreneurs and enthusiasm

amon? 111eir inil~an i.c~unterpar~ to enter into joint ventures to tap fishery

resc.)urcc> hither10 unucr e ~ ~ l o ~ t c d " . " ~ The highlights of new deep-sea

fishing policq o l 1976 \vere the tollowing:

I I the joirlt-venrt~rc companies can take on lease vessels with

loreign registrarton and riwcign ownership; 2) second hand

\v\sels tnay alv) he acquired or lcased subject to satisfactory

ccrtificatioti bj ;rpprovcd surveyors regarding sea worthiness

aritl futurc serviccahlc lit2 oithe vcssels; 3) the policy provided

spcedy clearance of deep-sea fishing; and 4) test fishing in

1rtJ1an Lvaters as prc. in\estnlcnt studying permitted.''

A \ part c i i tht. rle\\ liberalisation measures. there was substantial

clitnin,i~iot~ of i~cens~r~g. quantit'rtlrt: restrictions and other regulatory

-I4 Josz hlurickan. Voroi otl /he . Y ~ ~ I I ~ / ~ ~ I - c . I%<, Fisliermeni Slrugglr in Kerala, (New I ) c , l l i i . I L ) S c j ) , p.

.. i MPI 11 ' 'o l~c~c: . lrnd I ~/~ l~or / r rn i~ ic~ \ !or lnve,v/ment.s in t7;.sheries in Indilrrr (Kochi, 19761.

control5 Within twc, !ears of the new policy, the number of powered fishing

vessels rose fro111 800 lo 15000.~" Finances made available by Japan and the

Unitcd Stales hclpeti this change. During this period. there were 46 licences

issued lor 100 per (.:en1 export-oriented joint ventures, which involved an

inveslnlc.nt of K\. 8.500 ~ n i l l i o ~ ~ .

Vvith Lhtc n~yacive impacts of the new mechanisation and

liberali\ation hcco rn~~ i ;~ 1:lear liv the traditional sector, resistance started

evol\ins in var.ious rr~aritirnc regions in India. The traditional fisherfolk

openl? ~ipposed the I I C \ V policq. I'hc malor cause of the unrest was the

growing uncmployrrie~~t because of the mechanization in the fisheries

sector. l o r instance. 11,; 1077. about 20,000 fisher-women lost their work

due to ttrc inlrotiuctiot, 41f.nct m u k ~ n g machines in ~ a m i l n a d u . ~ ~

l.rom 147% or,\\ards, the NFI; launched struggles against the new

fisheries policy. I'he N1:t.. which claimed to stand for small fisherfolk as

well as conserv;~[ion ol' fishel? rcwurces. observed: "we believe it is our

sovercig~t dut) a ~ ~ d re\ponsibilit! 10 fhretvarn the administrators and policy

maker\ 111e dangers \ ) I ' ~hro\\inp open our seas to the multi-national

~ ~~~

4 6 lbid p.4 17 Thoryia, hocticl-r:. L~.\iti~.o~.ke,:c ~ l l r ~ i ~ i ~ r n r n ~ in [ n t h (Kochi. 1991). p.1.

.. lil conlpanlc~i . S~ronpl! criticisin? thc government policies in the regard,

the Nl,1. ~ ~ l a ~ ~ i t a ~ ~ l c d :

tlrc (io\crnme~lt has set a target of licensing 2,6000 deep sea

ti4iing \cisel>. ;ill of \vhlcIi will be 100% export oriented.

1.1.0111 our iiw~i i:xpcriencc we have been seeing the utter

L~llnre o l 148 lndran deep-sea vessels, majority of which

alrcad! Iiave #discarded o r docked. A Government report

S ~ I ( ~ W S t l i i ~ ~ the iontributior~ of these 148 vessels towards the

tot;il marinc lish product~on has been very riominal and

nc?.ligrhli. ['hi\ performance is ~rlainly owing to the limited

a\a~labilit\ of commerciall~ viable fish species in our EZZ.

Altho~~gh thest; I48 vessel\ wcre meant for fishing in the

dccp sc;~. i . t beyond iOm. depth, they have also

cr~croachcd t h i shore ant1 there have been innumerable

incldcnts ot' dehtl-uction of nets and gears of traditional Fish

r e In I middlemiin merchants were the

hcl!efic~ar~cs. x1o.e lining the traditional fisherman became

ur~c.~nplo?ctl d~ ic to the niccl~anisation. 49

111 1978 h e 1 demanded an exclusive Lone for traditional

fisherpeople. ,2?1tatiolli and intense campaigns were launched, which

resulted 1 1 , pronrl\ch h\ thc crnlr,tI government for a drati marine bill. The

For~lnl \\t~rked c u r a rllc:mdel bill to he introduced in Parliament, highlighting

the urgent ilcctl to iritrotluce legal regulations in marine fishing operations.

This prt,~atc nlarinc hill was \,vithdrawn on the promise that the government

would ~ritroducc a iicu marinc bill in Parliament. Folluwing this, the

govcrniticnt ot li~dia ~.t:t up thc Majumdar Committee to study the issue.

i lie i\/lal~~rrid:~r C'om~ni~lec was asked to recommended ways to

bring ;~hout la\\ anti order in the sea. The report submitted by the

c o ~ n ~ i i i t ~ ~ c I r l I t ) 3 rec~~mmendetl restrictions on trawlers and purse seining

in the icrritorlai walers within .?? hm. of the coast. The protection of

resource\ the Droictt~on ol ~radltlonal tisherfolk from excessive

compctitit)n tior11 thc riicchaniscd sector. and the necessity of maintaining

law and (lrdcr 111 {he c . 1 \\.ere accorded high priority by the Committee. In

accorda~i~c \ \ ~ t t i lhc rtcommendations of the Majumdar Committee, the

Governli~cnt ol India ,uggestcd that each maritime state should enact its

i(l own la\\ lor regulatirry! fishing ac~ivity. The states asserted their right to

legislate I n t h ~ s ~n'ittel ,ind the centre left the issue to them.

1 polt t~i ,~l il-Ili~ence ol the fisher peoplc was minimal due to their

margina11,c.d statils i1.1 \i.~cicty. 111 the total fishing population, 56 per cent

hclongcd to tribal a~iil dalit co~ri~nunities.'' Cultural and geographical

50 Src 4hr;lhaln. ri if). ,181 ~;!i;igrath> . i Iu~~rr~i~~.t.str Scrrnruk~hr~ntr Niyc~muvum Supreem t i i )~lr ir l~~ I ' I ~ ~ ~ ~ I I I I I I I Alal)pirzha, 19%) ~ n d Murickan. n.44. pp.3-4.

5 l N F 1 . n i . . p O

margirialisatiorl affecttd the co~n~nunity's bargaining power with the state.

In this context. pult~njr e l l o ~ i ~ h pressure on the government for the

enactnlcnt ofpolicieh thal were firvourable to the traditional fisher-folk was

not an easy lash A;gitations and struggles were the only way out for the

orgariisi~rions represeliliny the co~nrnunity.

I he krrt~lu St1 ~rtl~c~nrro .V(rrsvu Thozhilali Federation (KSMTF), a

state leicl tradc unic.111 in Kerala that worked under the NFF, through their

c a n ~ p a i ~ r ~ s and ;trugglcs dema~lclcd from the Government of Kerala the

passing ~jt'the kcrala blarine I-isheries Regulation Act (KMFM) . The Act

was nia~nly auned ,II eliminating the clash between the traditional

tisherpe~)ple anti rhc ~ncclraniscd ir.awlers. The key clauses in the Act were,

1. hiillll~ng pursu sc~ning with111 22 kni. of the coast;

2. hanntng nicctian~scil boats and uawlcrs within 20 km;

3. hanning tra-iing, (luring thc nlonths of June, July, and ~ u ~ u s t . ~ *

I tic trau Icr c~'\i:lcrs' lohh!' fi-om Neendakara met the Fisheries

Minister and got Neclidahara exclnptud from the ban. The KSM'rF went

into ;iction iri pnjtesl 'l'lierc \ \ere many incidents of clashes between

traditional tis1ie1--101k ; I I > ~ purse-selne operators. The fierce agitation of the

KSM'I'I' by hlock~ng i11ipc4rts. rail\\ays. and national highways. etc. ended

with t l ) ~ appointmerrl oi'the Hahn Paul Committee by the Government of

Kerala In I V X ! Ult: Ihhu P ~ L I I commission submitted its report in July

1982. h~t t thc gcweniinent has ukcn no action on the report."

Ulean it hile in 1980, the (iovemmenl of Kerala promised to give a

devclop~nent grmt 1 1 1 tis.70 crores to the fisherpeople and promised to

form li\l~erfolh \ wclt,~rc socletiex. But the government did not implement

the prow~isch. tlcncc I.;SM'I'P launched its second struggle in 1984. The

tradit~o~i,~l fisht.ipeoplt. under i t \ leadership submitted a 17-point demand

signcti h! around 10,000 people I hebe demands were;

( I r ban irawltng during monsoon months--June, July and

/\ugust: i 2 ) bar-! night traivling; (3) ban purse-seining; (4) ban

tr~twlers lrom irithin 20 hln, of inland waters; (5) introduce

pei~sion ti)r fisliworkers: 10) sanction educational concession

t c ~ r thc ~t1ildrc11 0 1 ' fish itorkers: (7) provide transportation

t: . ' I . ' , I ~ I i t~cs lor \zolncn fish Lenders (8) increase accident and

dci~th coiriper~sation; ( 0 ) introduce compensation for the

J a ~ t ~ a g r ot cralix ( 10) issuc pattayam for fishworker's lands:

( I l I conciuct c11:ction to the village welfare boards: (12)

include fisherni~.n in schcdulcd castes (13) enforce strict

lictmsing o l cr:~ltsr (14) provide free rations in lcan seasons;

i l i ban indusli-ial wastc flowing into the seas lakes and

r i i c.rs: ( I o I relticlvz middle men froin exploiting fishworkers

;irld: ( 17 I implement the recommendations of the Babu Paul 2 ( ' ~ ~ r n ~ n i s h ~ o n .

I lom in~tl-Ma! to mid-.lunc 1083. intense agitations were organized

all over keral;~ w1tl1 pickeiln~ and fasting in Kozhikode, Kollam,

Alappu~tia and I'hir~~vananthapuram. I 'he Chief Minister of Kerala met the

leaders ot'thc in~)vel.llent and he ;~grced to all their demands except ban of

tra~vlinp. I le promiseti to appornl an expert committee to enquire into i t .

l'he osi~ation \\ ; IS calcd off ~ h c next day. The Government of Kerala

appoirltcti a second crjn~rnittee callcd the Kalawar Con~mission to study the

issue. I tic Kalawar I.onimission consisted of three outside experts. The

comniittec startcil its ivorh aboul the middle of the August 1984.

In its report, tht: C'~.)mn~ission coniinned most of the contentions of

the KSM I F with regard t ~ ) deplet~on of marine resources and the need for

regulatirls the lishin, process. I luring the period 1969-82. Kerala had

developed four fishing ports with a fleet of3500 trainees, 1000 niechanised

eill-nc~ter:; and 100 pllr>.e seine\. l'he Commission recommended the ,d

reduciiorr in the rrumhcr of trawlers to 1145 and the strict implementation

ofth he Kcrala Marine I isheries Regulation Act (KMFR.4) with total ban of

~-

!.I Ibid.. o. i ,

purbc\clner\ \+[thin ihc Lerritorlal haters of 22 km. and trawlers within

20 Ln\

tile gtl\ernment did not implement its promises, the

I'etierat~on launched ,I third ayt,ition in 1985 lasting for four and a half

months t lundreds ol iishcmien. priests and nuns went on fast and held

dernoi~s~l.ations all o \ t : ~ ti.crala. pressing for their demands. As a result, the

ban or1 iiionsooll tra\\lng was rc-imposed in 1988, but again Neendakara

was czc~nptcd ;~pparei~tly out (11' political considerations. Further, the ban

was litictl atier 4X du:rs instead ol'the stipulated 70 days. In the wake of

these agitations. the Xl:~lakrishn:rn Nair Committee was formed. It was the

only (..'olnmittcc tha;~ tccommcnded a ban on monsoon trawling. Even

thol~gti tie ban ,was r-ccoinmcndcd experimentally for three seasons and

implemer~ted b> the sratc i t lasted only for 43 days. The ban in 1990 lasted

for.just 2 ; days. l 'hou~~;~s Kocherr). the Chairperson of the NFF, criticised

that thc (l~~vernlncnt tl'lti no inachincry to enforce its law.ih

I I I C Halakr~shri~i~~ Nair C onlmittee was asked again in 1991 to study

the 1mpac1 of thc Ira\? I haii dui-lrr:~ the three years. The Government totally

ignored I[:, card~nal s ~ ~ ~ g c s t i o n s I O start a project, Save Coastal Resource

~~~~ ~ ~

~ ~

',? K c I I . I 4. rljl i i I - 1.58

',h NFI o v l l ~ h F K o - 1 (Thiruvananthapuram. 1991). pp. 4-L I*),

Project (SCOKI'). to c(.)llect and tinalyse data during and after every three

months ii~stalrn~nts 0 1 monsooil ban. F:igures show that prawn landing

declined dralnaucall> from 1.600 tonnes in 1980 (when trawlers

appeared I to a inere ?8.100 tonne5 in 1989. '~ This fall was caused by over

fishing. Scientists feel that thc number of boats operating in the Kerala

coast is [\\ice that of \ v l~a~ is required for optimum exploitation of available

resource, Ihc goLcrninen1 talled to implement the Balakrishnan

Cornir~itlce rcco~nmc~~~~lations lull\.'x So the struggle continued. As a

result. ttic monsoon-trawling ban llas been continuing year from 1991 until

now. Hut the violatior15 ot'the ban also continued because of the limitations

ofstatc po\\er to impli.ir~ent the la\\ in territorial waters, and in the absence

of reg~11,11 i ~ ~ g h t p'ltrolling by thc p<)lice

I Ilcse \truggl<.\ and the rc\ultant appointments of the committees

marked [llc enti-! of' 111c age-old passive masses to the central stage of

59 politics. Marinc resource!; wcrc generally treated as an anarchic realm,

and state.. consttier at:a as the boundary line of their power. The state

treated i i i h i n ~ , I \ par1 of the .Agricultural Ministry and. therefore. used

-- -

" 1 horn.,, k < ~ h e n ~ Brc , i k tis111~~y11 1 Jc \,]Ire llre'rk-ZIP (New Uelhi, 1989). p 2 ix See irc~ver-nnii.lit I l ie ra la . / / I ~ ~ I Y / I ~ I Nuir C'ommis.sion Report

( . rh i r~~\ ;~ l ia thap~~l .am. i ('80 1.

'' See. nl.4 . lJrwt . , , W(ri,,,.\. /,n,/c.~.i l i l , ~ . (-l'hir~~vananthapuram. 1989).

terminologies l ~ h e 'l~anccsting.. cultivation' and 'farming', an approach

that is uriable repn-cwnt the rnarinc ecology and its mode of production.

Another inqor re at ti^-^ ol' the lishing sector is that it is predominantly a

traditior~al occul~aticli~ and thercliwe does not fit within the framework of

industri;ll sector I'hc ir;~ditional fisheries sector has been dominated by caste

and tratlitional modes 1.11' associat~ons than by 'class.' The industrialisation of

lishing caused to the r;ciie~.ation ot 'class' consciousness that intertwined with

'caste'. ( ultural lactoi- and synbolic elements are the major mobilisation

tools ol tlte traditional vector. I'hc NFF tried to bring a spatially and socio-

econornicallq marginalized section like the fisherfolk to the forefront of

political life. It tr~cd 1 1 , link the non-state civil entity to the state through its

struggle5 ['he long-lahting struggles are always a vista of the unity of non-

statc and state rc;ilrnh

' I I-aditional social rnoveincrrt analysis treated social movements as a

civil entily. ~ . h ~ c l i tn-iir~sti~nned the social structure and thereby placed

outside the statc .ind political partles. The case of the NFF challenges this

notion a soc~~rl mu\ elnent. the NFF h~ghlights identity politics as well

as class politics. a r ~ ~ i \ . of ne\\ and oltl movements. It is not simply a

cultural i~iovcmc~~t. hilt one thal addressed national and global politics. It

has an inli)nnal ,~llianci: \\it11 traditional political parties and other social

inoverncrriz in ttic sti.ii~gle Srorlts ant1 its ideologies largely are derived

from liberation theolosy. kminist movements and ecological movements.

It is these peculiarities ,) t ihe NF- t, that enable it to challenge the new social

movelnerlt c l ahs~ l i ca t~c~~~ ol'the I oropcan scholars

1 he NF b genet a I bod? incetlng in 1987 decided to organize a march

to Kanqdkumar~. the .,outhern i ~ p to India. based on the slogan "protect

water,. plotect l~le" "" I he prcscr~ation of marine ecology was one of the

major ih r~~s ts ot the nrarch. I h c issues of the march emerged as a response

to the loc;il issue5 In i VXO. the Kanyakumari march was held to popularise

its agentli~ and t t ~ pn:shurise the government to implement a trawl ban in

the monsoon season. Industrialisation and water pollution affect the life of

the lislii~lg corn~i~unit:\ In J big \\a!. In Kamataka? the NFF was part of the

movemen1 launched .~gair~st Ilari 1Iara Polyfibers (HHP), an industry that

discharged highlc toile: chemicals into the Tungahhadra river." It was

also 11nhc.d to the I I I ~ I - ~ ~ I Yuclear Project agitation launched in

Karnatah't I hc Kan!,~kumal-~ ~rlarch touched upon all these sites of

strugglc It also highi~shtetl rnininu .. issues. Uncontrolled mining increased

the silicon content in rt~e rivcrs i ~ ~ l d damaged the reproduction mechanism

of fish ~reiourccs 'T'hcst: 'ecological' or environmerital issues that directly

- ~ ~ ~~

hll N t l . . l tr~lonnl 1 / 1 1 r k . I I I Rel~ort-1989 (Thiruvananthapuram, 1989), P. I

h l NI'I. 1 1 ;h. p 7

affected the \bJrer ~ I I I ~ livelihood resources of the fishing communities

were ~ntcgrallq i~nkeii to labour and modernisation issues by the NFF.

I llc traditional ~ishing sector is marked by the substantial presence

of women in its labo~rr.. In tune with this reality. the Kanyakumari march

did havc thc repl.cserr1atic)n of a good number of women. This is true with

the parr~iipatio~i ol the trihai tisherfolk in the march and in other

agitatio~li~l acli~rties of the NFt . I'he participation of women, ecological

and tribal elements in large nu~rihcrs in the movement denotes that the NFF

is a rnulrl-frame inotr<ment. Multiple l'rarnes merge into one another in the

course 01 action of the Inovemenl.

( krle of thc malc,)r transitions of the movement that was contributed

by thc Icminist .igcnti;~ was the change of the name of NFF (National

Fishermc~~s' t.orum) to rhc Nation;il Fishworkers' Forurn (NFF) in 1989. In

1990. tl-kc registl-ar 01 ~ratle unlorls accepted this amendment. 'The 1991

Report ( 1 1 the N t t r e ~ ~ ~ a r k e d : '.this has been a major step of our own class

conselou\rless 21, well 2s our coniciousncss of feminine perspectives".62

All the uhovc tactors n:vealccl undoubtedly that the NFF is a new social

movemen. that .ilso .\ multi-tia~nc movement. It challenged the elitist,

~

'" Ihiil.. jl

class hla\ed poll~ical \ > s t c ~ n and thereby expressed the countcr-hcgemonic

nature ol [he rno\cmclrl

Internationalization of tlie N F F

Ir~lcrnatior~al ~rc~working of the lisheries sector started in 1978

under tlrr. leadership o l the Asian Cultural Forurn on Development

(AC'F( )I ) I . In thc. orgar~izational sphere. .4C120D initiated the conduct of

workshops fix tlrc fistruig community. The first such workshop was held at

Bangalorc in I c )7X . \ \ l rh the part~c~pation o f a few small-scale fishworkers

from lntlonesia. .lap;.rn Malaysia. Philippines and Thailand. The main

focus ol the muetin;! \bas on a critical look at the large-scale fishery

projects ~llitiatcci and t'i~rrded h!, the [.IN and other international agencies in

!I: South n ~ r d Southeast i\bia.

I Ire sccotld wi~rltsliop \\.as held at Kottayam, Kerala in 1980 with

the p;lrtlcipatlo~~ ot' d:lcgatcs trom Bangladesh, India and Sri Lanka

focused OII the prohlems of South Asia in particular. A study on the

problem5 of the tisherres sector \\as also undertaken with regard to the

Exclusi\ L. tlconotnic /',olrcs ( E l ./ I in 13angladesh. India, Philippines and

Thailaritl l'hc p;~rticip;lnts of these meetings were academics and NGO

~~ ~-

63 0 t i 1 I c l i i i / i r , . s Kepori I'lYO-9l (Bangkok, 1991 ).

,I sector ,rctiv~sts I t until the 1070s. the fishworkers' movement focussed

on local prohlema. they started addressing transnational problems

esptxcill~ in thc Asia11 region h) the late 1970s. 'This was especially in the

eontexi 01'1nar1111ne nations coming under the exploitative web of western

fish exporters.

!\, secn c;irlic:r in this chapter. the new fisheries policy of the Fifth

Fivc \ic;rr Plan 01'the Indian sovernnlcnt opened the sea to the exploitation

of rnult~r.~ational zon1p;rnrcs (MNC's) and global capital. The entry of big

vessels r~lade the locai nlovelnents realisc the globalisation of their local

space anti resources. I he consciousness that the problem of the local is not

confined lo the localit\ and tha~ there is need to tackle it through a global

network lras pro\ ~decl the NFF \\ith a new character. In 1984, a group of

social acr~vists tormeit ; I supporting organisation for fishworkers called the

Internat~onal C'ollect~\i in Support o f Fishworkers (ICSF) in Chennai.

Froin I085 on\rards. l l~e demar~ti li)r an international network of unions

hecane strong.

A1 the rnternat~t)n;~l levcl. the I:AO convened its Rome Conference

on fishel 1c.s irl 1984. 11 i :~~l~ninated in the formation of a parallel movement

ol'the lisllworher\. as 111c rlon-go\crtunental groups disagreed with the U N

'" lbid

for the tir\l time 011 the ,~pproaches and understanding of the issues of the

fisheries ,i-ctor I rom lhis period onwards. global policies had a defining

role in loc,rl actioiih and <~ll~ancch ot the fishworkers.

I'IIL, NVf, and ih~: Carudian union, the Canadian Council of

I'rofessic)i~;~l lish-l lancsters (CC'I'I.1 I). proposed the idea of an itlternational

trade urli(~r~. Strtniutra. ;II-I iriternatrorial Journal of fishworkers and supporters,

notes 1ha1 [he idea of e\o'lving nn ~il~ernational union representing fishworkers

was tirsl ~iiscussctl at ' 1 meeting In Quebec City, Canada in October 1 9 9 5 . ~ ~

'This ide;t was --rccogni~cd hy the representatives of fishworkers organizations

present there that. 11.1 ;I contcsi of globalisation, all coastal fishing

com~nur~ities lacibd corrlmon prohlcms, like the degradation of coastal areas

and the ~ l r . s t ruc t~~~n ot 1 isheries ivsourccs by industrial fleets".h6

1 1 1 1997. untlci- [he leadership of the NFF and its Canadian

countcrp,irt. a I I L . ~ giohal tradc union by the name World Forum of Fish-

tIaneslcrs and E'isli-Workers i WI'F) emerged. Fishworkers from 26

coun~ric,, came 1ogc11ir.r in Nc\\ Ilelhi in December 1997 and pledged to

stand l o r a collllnorj iigclida tirr the sustenance and preservation of global

fish rc\ources I'he 111et:ting appointed a constitution drafting committee

and elciled t r lho111as Kochcrr> as the general co-coordinator of the

WFI: 11 Ilec~dcd to ctin\cne the next session afier three years at Loctudy in

France ' It ari nnbitiouy >tep in the history of the fishworkers

i t was lor tllc lirst time that national-level fishworkers

or:anizatiuns l r o n ~ so inany countries had come together to

Ior~n n global hod? to represent their interests. ?'he formation

of the U 1 . 1 \\a:; seen as a significant development, and was

\\idel> \~elcolrletl a:, litling a major vacuum at the

i~~ternatior~al 1cvt:l for artisanal and small-scale fish worker^.^^

The malit oblectives ol WbF arc a\ follows:

1 I protect. deti:nd and strengthen the communities that depend

o t ~ the t~she~- \ for the~r livelihoods: 2) assist member

organi~at~ons t i ) sccurr and improve the economic viability

and qualit! of lire of fish harvesters, fish workers and their

cr~~nmunil~cs: ; I recognize. protect and enhance the role of

Lsolnen in the ri.;hing economy and in the sustenance of the

coir~rnunil!: 4) weate an understanding of the resources as a

collecti\:e heritaiie and cnsure. through sustainable fishing

pra~tices. ,:onscrv;rrion anti regeneration of the marine and

iniund resources and eco-s>ste~iis, that is passed on to future

67 WI.'I.. . i , 1,s 01 l i f t , Wori~l l o r l m 11t t.i\.li ilurvesteus cmd I.'i.sIi-~jorkers (WFF) Meet I 1 1 / 1 1 lnd~o ( "iew I )e ihi I 907 I

cneratiorr\: 5 I protect tishing communities. fish resources

and tish habit;it.;. snch as mangroves, from both land based

anti sea based itlreats. k)r cxample. displacement by tourism,

pollution. ~ncl i~ding the (1st. of'the sea as a dumping ground

L I I toxic wahli.., destructive industrial aquaculture, over

li\hing a ~ l d tlc\~ructivc lishing practices: 6) establish and

promotc thc rigllts of fishiilg communities in their customary

territories under their nat~onal jurisdiction in the coastal zone

li)r fishing and tlahitativn: 7 ) promote a legal regime that will

cltaure the t~atlitional and customary rights of fishing

communltlcs tc~ he fisher! under their national jurisdiction; 8)

I'r,~mote the primary role of the fish harvesters and

tishworkcrs' or~anizations in managing fisheries and oceans

n;~t~onall! and il~~ternationally: 9) Promote food security both

local11 and worl~i \vide thrc~ugh sustaining fish stocks for the

ti~lure. and b! rcscrving lish fbr human food; 10) promote

cyllitable repr~:xc:n~akion ol tish harvesters and tishworkers'

oryanizat~ons i l l all and appropriate international and regional

fils and advoc;~tc, 1i)r their recognition; 1 1 ) play a monitoring

role to ensurc c,)mpliancc by states and trans-national

corporations u 11.11 relevdnt illtemational agreenlents: oppose any

tfiitle ag~-ccmc.~l~:, lhat thrcatcn thc livelihood of fishers:

12.1 prckcllt tht: t:sport of' crisis of resource collapse and of

lechnolog~cs alrtl practices that lead to these crises; 13) provide

s~ir)po~t (i*r natio~~al and international struggles that are consistent

\ \ I I I I the oblecti~cs ol'thc hor ld b'orum.''"

1'1-cservat~on c,t global lizherics resources is a major thrust of the

NF17 anti its global ;~ilics. ;Is notcd earlier. the 1990s witnessed the

transitloll of the NFI froln a local to a transnatior~al one. This was in a

situatior~ \\.hen tlic irnpl~:mentatiol> of Structural Adjustment Policies (SAP)

by the ilidian ht~tte at tllc b e h e t 01' international financial institutions

challer~gcll the econonli~c autononry of' the traditional communities. When

water bodies like thc CIhilika l.ake Lvere allowed to bc exploited and

contn~llcti b? the Pvli\l('\. C ~ I L I \ I I I ~ ~lnernployment of the hundreds of

lishworhers. thc NFl. collabora~cd with Chilika Bachao Andolan, the

movemenr that \\as lisi~ting against the sell out to monopolies. The NFF

also \\o~-hcd in <lost: .:ollaboration with the Narmada Bachao Andolan

(NBA). \\hich I > [he irlovcment ol the people affected by the construction

of a scr,es 0 1 big ( J ~ I I I I S ilcrohs the Narmada River. Thc NFF in

collahor;tt~on \\lth thc NHA ~n~tiatetf the networking of new social

movcnicnrs in Intlia u~itler the ~lllrbrella organisation, the National Alliance

of People.- Movc~nenth c N 4PM I

.A, a contlnuallon of thi. ~~nplcmentation of the New Economic

Polic! (h l<P) . thc k~igllth Five Y'ci~r. Plan proposed deep sea fishing as a core

sector a ~ ~ t l consl~[l~ted ;I icchnolog! mission to increase the fish production in

the IiI../.h I'he NII' ren~o.r,etl all harriers to the foreign investors, which paved

the n a y I<! ~ubstalltiall:~ increase li~rcign invcstli~ents in the EEZs of India,

especlall! in the lbnr ot',joint ven~ures.~' ' This situation opened up a conflict

betweell ihe tratl~rion;il :sector and the joint venture vessels. In 1994, under the

leaderslrll) ol t h ~ N1.t . a meeting of National Fisheries Action Committee

Against .Joint Vcr~turt:~ (NFACASL') was convened. An indefinite strike was

started oil 23 No\emhcl 15194 b> the NFACAJV. In this struggle, international

support \\as ti)rthconur~g from other inovements. The NFF in collaboration

with other organl\atron< convened ,I meetlng of international fishworkers in

Cebu. t'hilrpp~nc\

Irlternat~oiralis~~~r~~~t ot l o ~ a l economies thus demanded global

interactior~s and respot1sc:j of mo\cments for resolving local problems. In

1996. I linitctl N;ittor~s Food ant1 Agricultural Organisation (FAO)

invited the N t ' l (-'ha~rpcrson Ihomas K o c h e w to a syrnposiurn on food

sccurlt> In thc rnectlng. Kochcrry obscrved that in the context of

acceleratid gloh,~lrsa~~c~n. we "need a global campaign to achieve" the

goals of the NFI He p(.)irlts out that the N I P "needs a global campaign in

the linc ,)t' (~ lohal IJc.acc March. I'coples Global Action and WFF's

carnpaigil ihr ihc o\cr~c.rslrip 0 1 water bodies, fishing implements by the

small lidling co~nmu~~i t ics" . '~ Kocherry affirmed that the thrust of the

-- ~ ~~ ~~-~

7 0 NF1 f<~.nort. 11 I .,, pp 1 ; 7 1 Th<~~n,i., t i i~ci icr i-? . ..< ,i<~h:~lisarion :ind Marginalisation: A Challenge to Think

Gliihaii\ and : \ i i ( ; loh;~II~'. NI.'k' Ilc/,orl (I'hiruvananthapuram, 1998). p.60.

W F I inlust bc to ilr~nh and act fbr the victims of globalisation. In

highlighilng thc isz~rcs of the fisheries sector worldwide, the WFF

proclainrcd 71 N\)ve~nl-rer as thc "World Fisheries Day". Then onwards the

World 1i:;heries Oay I', observctl ever). year.

I I I 2002. rhe N1.f: published a Charter of Demands that asked for a

cessatio~l of' ovcrlishlrl!~. .. an end to dumping of chemical and toxic wastes

into thc water t)odic., and the stopping of the privatisation of natural

resource, I'hc ~n~plenl~:ntatio~l ,)I the new Property Right Regimes (PRR)

leads to rile pr i \a t isa~\~m of natural resources. John Kurian referred to it as

the "I ragcdy of ( )per! :"iccess". ('omrnon properties of the people like the

marine i-esourcc, are llrotcd nakedly with the implementation of the PRR.

This type of p r~~a t i s i~ t~o r i was against tenns and conditions of the United

Nations i onf'krcl~ce , ) I I the l a w ,)f the Sea (LJNCL>OS). United Nations

Gencri11 :\ssemhl\ rc\~.rlution 274') states that the "sea-bed and the ocean

floor. and the subsoil illereof' bc?ond the limits of national jurisdiction, as

well as the resources ~ r t the arca. are the co~nmon heritage of'mankind.""

7' .Iohl~ h~irian. per, liij:hr.\. /~'i,.v,~~r.cc Mirntr~yernrnf clnd C;overnimce: ('rrrfiing irn l t u ~ ~ ~ ricrt~r~n~ii f i r r ~ r i c I$ o r k , f ~ ~ / - (;ii~httl Mtoine Fi.theries (Thiruvananthapuram, 1 Y'jK). 1' 2 1

llmis resolutiolm spccilicd. "no state shall claim or exercise

soverclgnty or sovereign right, o \er any part thereof'." Agenda 4 states

"the corlicpt ot an cx~:lusive rconomic zone beyond the territorial sea,

includins the qucstio~m of an esciu\ivc cconornic zone and preferential right

to costal ,states" ' J ~ h n Kurian points out that "UNCLOS I, in 1958 and

11. in 1960 -gave speclal intercsl t!t'coastal communities in fish as a source

of livclihi)od anti food the need to grant such communities preferential

rights tc, manage the tci-rirorial sea were further ~ t r c s s e d " . ~ ~ IJNCLOS 111

in 1973 atfirmed sea ;I\ a commotl heritage of mankind, which prevent the

private otvnersh~p of th~: individuals and state. Coastal communities have a

prefercntlal right on 11-I(: t,:Li,Z. Ihc arca of EEZ all over the world is 115,

484 rnill~on Sy.l(lns. 111 which India has 2.015 million ~ ~ . ~ m s . ' ~ It is those

comrnolm lmer~tagc and I 1ght5 th'lt thc fisher people are unable to protect.

M. thin thrce qc;lrs of the tornmation of the WFF, a power struggle

and a split occurred l r i the forum. C'anada, the US. the Latin American

countrie\. lcela~id ant1 l:r,ince cllose to remain with the World Forum of

Fish Harvesters and b ish Workers. l'hc Indians, Pakistanis, Sri Lankans,

Philipp~nos. Alricarls (fiom Senegal. South Africa, Guinea Conkry,

Uganda. Mauritania. h4ali. Benin and Madagascar), and New Zealanders,

together with the Spi~nish delcgatcs. abandoned the ship, preferring to

embark on thc ha>111j improklsed World Fortun of Fisher Peoples

(WFkP) X

111 1999. [he WI:l;P pussetl two resolutions. Resolution I requested

the I Inilcd Nations ti^ implanent a study of the Pacific Ocean (both North

and South) to identif! rhc high range ot'toxin, mercury and other poisons"

and Resolution I I de111:lndcd "cessation of mining of uranium on the lands

of the il~digenons and trihal peoples and that all fl~rther transfcr of spent

.. 79 uraniuir~ and other radic, active unsles across oceans .

I he split into LI.k.1: and W1,'I;I' \bas not based on the objectives of

the f'oru~n. but tmal~ated fro111 the inherent power struggle that was

revealed in man! wa! \ I'he interests of the North and the South clashed in

the Foru111 and i t resi~lred in thy split. f h e WFFP constitution is Inore or

.. . ~~~~ ~-

' i t O i r t I I . Irouhled Seas in Loctudy". Srrrnudrrr (1)eccni her 2000 I. p.4

1') NFI . ( iirrrter ot / ) e n r i r ~ i ~ / ~ ~ (70021

less idcr~l~cal to thal 111 the W t t ") In the case of the WFFP, the terms

'fish \\orker' ant1 .fisli harvester' hakc been changed to 'fisher people'.81

International ~>hscr\ers and social activists were greatly shocked to

see such a split happening. Nalini Nayak, Member of the NFF central

cominittcc and an ~trlcrnaticinall> reputed social activist, said in an

inter1 ic\\ with this rc:i~:archer tha~ there wcre differences of interests and

perception bet\\cen the Canadian and Indian tishworkers, and they

contrihutcd to thz unhridgcable gap. l h e local realities and the ideological

orientations of the t\vo werc different.x2 The Canadian Council of

Professional Fish Harvcsters (('CIPl~II) is a body of mechanized fish

workers and thc NFt. was mostl> occupied by the artisanal tishworkers.

A.J Vii;l>an. fi>rtner i 11:ncral Secretary of the KSMTF, observed that the

split i n the U'l,l, m:t? clue to tdeological reasons:" He published an

article."' which cupressed his dis;ippointments with the formation of the

-

XO Intel L I V \ \ w ~ t h \ r P h i l i > t n ( ~ n M d r i I hiruva~~anthapuram. 17 May 2002

O.Kior~~an. 11.78 p.?. 82 I n t e ~ . ~ t c i \ with 'lalini '\a!.ik, n.2-l 81

Intct-~~i.i\ w ~ t h \..I.Vi,j;~iar~. l ' l i ir~~\i~na[lthapuram. 18 August 2002. XJ A..I \ ijalan. M I Uin:~\lltrr 1)~ithen Lokavediyum-Chila Aswstha

C h ~ ~ ~ t l ~ a k a l " ( ' lh~ruv i~~i ; i~ l t l~apur i~ i l i . 11.d) and "Keralathile Matsyathozhilalikalum P r a \ t h : ~ ~ ~ a v u m " 1 l 'hirrit.;inanthapnra~n. n.d.).

WFF. I le think!, lhat tht: formatiori of the WFF shifted the focus and local

directio~r.\ of the YFI.

All editorla1 ccu~rlnent in .Sutnudra notes:

tllc split is. no doubt, un1i)rtunate given that the raison de etre for

the formation c,lf a global organization of fishworkers has not

cli;~nged hinct ()uebec ,)r Ilelhi and that challenges facing the

art~sanal scctor cc-~ntinuc to require a co-ordinated and forceful

rL.sponse iron-I lishworkers organizations. The disappointment is

trreater since bot.h fi>rurns have adopted constitutions that are almost - identical and star~d by similar o b j e c t i ~ e s . ~ ~

I he very Idea of an internatronal forum was widely appreciated by

the fish\\t)rkcrs. hut lonnat~on created mistrust in its base. Aliou Sall,

African trade unlon actbist fro171 \enegal. recalled that "we were all there

in Qucbec when the itica was niootcd and we werc not against it. But the

turn i t took into trying. to estabiish itself at its very tirst meeting in New

Delhi tooh us all by surprise. and I think this is very righte en in^".^'

X(i A l i i ~ u \.ill. Micliael 13cIli\cau and Yal ini Nayak; ('onver.\~iion.s. A Triologue on I ' o i ~ e ~ . ~nterreri/ion l l t~d Orguni:~~/ion in Fitheries. Inierncrtionol (~'olleclive in SUI)I)OI.I ~ ~ f f i l . s h ~ t ~ o r k c ~ ~ \ (C 'henna~ 1002). p. 1 13.

hl~chele l<c l l i \~ ,~u remark\ that

I an1 a b ~ t s k e p ~ i c ~ l abour the way of'the World Forum seems

t < > see itself. I 1 >hould not be an ideological organization, a

~tructural organiration ;IS such. For a few more years, it

\liould have hccn a kind of associational Platform working

$jut hard-core i,is~les and then deciding what specific issues

t ~ o u l d bc on i~~~ernational i ~ ~ e n d a . "

I I~us. thc atte~lll~t at the i t~ tc r t iona isa t ion of the NFF reflected the

possihilil~es and prohlcms pro\:ided by the existing international order. The

North-South dichoton~! and ttic unequal character of the global order have

to be confronted lor nn:ar~ingfui international activism.

I his casc stud\ 01' the N1:l tries to reveal local. national and global

levels ( 1 1 its ac11visn1 I)evelop~~ient plays a major role in defining a

com~nu~~ily':, soc~al l>o'iit~ort and their hold on political power. Modem

articulat~on of development crca~cti the division betwcen the developed

and underdeveloped. Y;rti\)nal and international economy and politics are

hookctl i l l the trap of ~ i c v e l o p n ~ c ~ ~ t Prcsent day studies on development are

~unmask~llg' de\c.loprricnl as .iny~h' or 'fairy tale'.xx In this sense Jan

I\ledcr\ ici~ Pietcrw note,;: .de\elopmcnt is 'only a story'. only a narrative,

XX .Ian Ncilervien I'ieter,,: 1 l ~ ~ r r / o / ~ ~ ~ r ~ . nt Iheory, Deconstruction: Recon.struction (NCN [)elhi. 7001 J. p. I ~ I

on11 a grand narrati~,:"'. I le stressed the point that developrnent is a story

and i t i \ 'only :I stop ' Ibis 'stor! ' comes into contrast with the 'reality' in

Inan! \\irvs. Arturo l.scobar poirlts out: "In sum. Development colonized

realt). 1 1 beconlc rea~ity".~' ']'his developinent narrative masked the 'real'

for the <:onstructed lit!;'. 111 tllc post independent phase all third world

countrich working w~tll i~r the paradigm of development realized themselves

being thin tht. de\clipnent discourse. Escobar clearly understands that

developnlent IS ,I tool to extend the hegemony of the developed over the

underdc\eloped. Thc cxpansloll I I ~ ' the hegemony needs -others' consent.

(iramsc~ ~)bservetl t h n ~ Ilegemor~y is possible only by means of the consent

of the c~vil soc~ety. 1\11 develop~nental theoreticians understand that the

west idc;~lized ilevelop~ncnt intellectually and morally. The collapse of the

developl~~ent m>th opr:ned a ilcu iearch fbr 'alternatives in development'.

In this context N1.F pro\ rded Alternative Fisheries and Economic Policy.

Illoderniz;~tion ; I I I ~ industrialization of the fishing sector widened the

gap bct\\cen the haw5 and ha\c-nots. The policy mangers in many ways

ignored tl-~e cult~lral scttlng, of the tishing cotmnunity. Cultural positioning of

the comlnunity ah the ibrltcaste mlnlrnized their social space and it is a major

--

XY Art l~rv I \cobar l<etl;~ ~o t ) \ ori l~e\clop~nent". Fulurec (June1992). p.414.

cause 01 their ec<~nor~irc: back\\.arilr~ess. The geo-cultural position marginalized

the con-~ii~unit\ Irom t1I1 socio-polit~cal transformations of the society.

lohn KUI- an t-aisrd the problem of 'outlier' in his article on "The

... 90 Kerala blodcl: Irs ceirrral tendency and the 'Outlier . Kerala expresses a

high standard 0 1 liviill! with i~ low income. This is the speciality of the

Kerala 111odcl. I he i.cntra1 tcildency of the Kerala Model is high life

expectalley. lo\\ inf2rr11 rilortalit?. and low population growth rate. These

are \\iJcl\ hailed by ~ l c v c l o p ~ ~ ~ c i i ~ experts but the situation of the 'Outlier'

is on the contrar! . J o h ~ i Kurian nientioned -'some of the economic, social and

cultural cltaractcristics %.l)ecitic to fishing colnrnunities have placed restrictions

on its mcinbers iichie!, 111g .J level ol' -capabilities' commensurate with that of

membcrb i~f 'othc~ coti~~lrur~ities in tierala".'"

l lic econo~nic .md cullrrral ticlds are intertwined realities. In

Bourdieu , theo~?. <>mholic aspects of social life are inseparably

intert\\irlecl \\it11 the 111;itcrial contlitions o f existence. without one being

reducible lo the other. ' C:apital distributed in the society as net, which

( a 0 Soh11 htirisn. i l l e a Modcl : Its C'eniral Tendency and the Outlier" in G o v ~ n d ; ~ ~ i I'ara>il (ell I h~,rrrIo llrc Uevelo/~n~ent Ex[~erirnce R<flection.s on

Su.sf~tirr,rJirlrt~ i r t ~ t i Re~~i t ; . i~ i~ i i i l l ; I I irlidon. 2000).pp. 178-1 97.

Ibid. 1) X X

42 I'ierre t$ourdieu l'he ! i l d ~ ~ S C u l ~ u r - a l Production (Oxford. 19'13). p.4: edited and introclul rd bl 1<;111dal I ; ~ I l n i o n .

structured by .r way ol' .I hierarchically organized series of

fields (thc cco~lornic field. the educational field, the political

ticld. the ~.ult~.lral lield. ctc.), each defined as a structured

space w i t t ~ its I I \ V I I laws of functioning and its own relations

ol li)rces independent o l those of politics and the economy,

c.\iept. oh\iousl\,., in the cause of the econotnic and political

fields. F'aclh i'irld is rel;itively autonomous but structurally

ho~nologo~is w~th the other, '"

l l ~ e \pact as outlined dhoke represents civil society that has

recentlq ~ o m c to the ~xnt re staye of international relations. The 'passive

massch' , s t ' erstnhile daqs sucti ;IS \\omen, tribals, dalits etc. are thus,

entering tile corc strucl1irt.s oi' po\\er through the initiatives of new social

move~~ienr\ l ~ h e the Nl I

-- ~ -~ ~ ~

93 Randal .lohn>ol~ ' A r l 1 .itcl-atu~c . I ~ J C'ulture." in lbid., p.6.