Photos: Out at sea with KC Rekha, India’s first, licenced fisherwoman

KC Rekha has broken gender barriers to become India's first and only licenced fisherwoman in Thrissur, Kerala.

Updated on: Dec 13, 2017 4:27 PM IST

News

Share via

• 
• 
• 
• 

Copy link

• 

1/8

View Photos in a new improved layout

Updated on Dec 13, 2017 4:27 PM

KC Rekha on a boat in Kerala with her fishing net. She may have become a fisherwoman out of necessity, but she’s come to love her job, despite the odds and uncertainty. (Vivek R Nair / HT Photo)

2/8

View Photos in a new improved layout

Updated on Dec 13, 2017 4:27 PM

The Arabian Sea is unusually rough this rainy season, but India’s lone licenced deep-sea fisherwoman is unfazed by the ocean.The Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute (CMFRI), felicitated Rekha this April. (Vivek R Nair / HT Photo)

3/8

View Photos in a new improved layout

Updated on Dec 13, 2017 4:27 PM

It wasn’t easy for the institute to locate Rekha among the millions of fisherfolk dotting the coastal landscape. She has survived rougher times — in land as in the sea — surviving monstrous tides that toss around her flimsy 20-year-old single-engine boat. (Vivek R Nair / HT Photo)

4/8

View Photos in a new improved layout

Updated on Dec 13, 2017 4:27 PM

“We rely on traditional knowledge,” says the unflappable Rekha, who believes Kadalamma, the sea goddess who is worshipped by many fisherfolk in this part of Kerala, will save them. (Vivek R Nair / HT Photo)

5/8

View Photos in a new improved layout

Updated on Dec 13, 2017 4:27 PM

KC Rekha’s faith stems from the struggle that began more than 10 years ago when she decided to be the deckhand for her husband (left) after his two workers quit; the couple just couldn’t afford them. (Vivek R Nair / HT Photo)

6/8

View Photos in a new improved layout

Updated on Dec 13, 2017 4:27 PM

A portion of the morning catch lies scattered on KC Rekha’s boat. “She can give you lessons on the habits and paths of fish such as sardine, tuna, mackerel and sea bass,” says her husband P Karthikeyan. (Vivek R Nair / HT Photo)

7/8

View Photos in a new improved layout

Updated on Dec 13, 2017 4:27 PM

“It is a game of luck … like lottery. At times you hit the jackpot and sometimes you fish only despair,” adds Karthikeyan, pointing to the day’s catch, a lowly 5kg of sardines. (Vivek R Nair / HT Photo)

8/8

View Photos in a new improved layout

Updated on Dec 13, 2017 4:27 PM

Rekha and Karthikeyan met while she was doing a Hindi course and fell in love. “Following protests from both families, we were forced to flee and start life afresh,” she says. Now, the couple goes 20-30 nautical miles into the sea in search of fish, without a compass, GPS device, life jackets or any modern navigation equipment. (Vivek R Nair / HT Photo)