If there was on activity from your childhood that stands out in your memory, what would it be? That one thing that meant the most to you. That one thing that you would never give up for anything else? That one thing that would have been a dream career for you today.
For me it was fishing. As a kid, all I wanted to do all day long was fish. Fish in ponds, fish in rivers, fish in gutters (gutters in Calicut in those days were for draining excess waters that came with the abundant rains), fish in back waters, fish in wells (Most homes in my area in Calicut had fish in them). I used to dream of fishing, I used to have vivid colourful dreams of big ornametal fish with long flashy coloured tails in a well that had bluish water.
Two months a year I would be home away from boarding school. Two months of blissful days in the sunny and rainy days of Kerala. I actually liked the monsoon days where it would rain incessantly for days together, me and my changathis (Malabari slang for friends) would take out bicycles, our local fish hooks and lines, dig up some worms and head for the Puthiyara river with no raincoats or umbrellas;just pure excitement and hope of a good time with buddies. My parents had actually branded me as "Mukkuvan" -meaning fisherman in local parlance, and me and my buddy had decided that once we grew big we would own fish farms.
Every species of fish was fascinating. I obviously didn't know their scientific names, but local Malayalam names are seared into my memory and refuse to be erased by the years that have passed by. I did a small online research on these and here are some of the species I have caught - never by myself, always with the help of my super resourceful,patient and skilled friend.
1. Pilaapi - Tilapia??
2. Chanagaparichi - ???
3. Paral - Giant Danio
4. Chooli - ???
5. Muzhu -Walking catfish
6. Kadu - Stinging catfish (My buddy used to say when pricked by the sharp cartlage on this fishes fin, the hand gets paralysed and the only solution is to pee on it - never had the opportunity to test it )
7. Chemmeen- Fresh water prawn (Yep - we had freshwater prawns)
8. Sucker cat (I have no idea why we referred to it as that) - Tank Goby
9. Vaalan - Dorab wolf herring
Like every story my fishing story too had a climax, or an anti climax if you will. I never managed to catch a "Braal" - called the "Banded snake head" in English. I was constantly in pursuit of this monster. I had even got many a glimpse of it in the huge gutter right outside my house. I had tried netting it, hooking it - but never was I able to catch one. I followed a neighbors advice and tried to catch it using live cockroaches as bait and still never worked. And I think that was destiny keeping that one activity for me to go back to childhood days and relive a passion.
Our days would begin by about 9, we would meet up at my place and as we dug for worms the place of the days catch would be finalized and if we didn't find the usual spots as exciting, we would scourge the city for newer marches, newer ponds, newer species. We got home for lunch, placed our catch in drums and went back for the second half returning by about 6 or 7. I remember once coming back after a long day of fishing and noticing two bite marks on my ankle. My mother freaked out and my dad asked me to chew on black pepper. When I told him I felt the burning of pepper, it was decided that it was not snake bite, or even if it was there was no venom in my body - I now wonder how reliable that methodology is and shudder!
Another incident that comes to mind - I once hooked a live frog onto my rod and line and left it for a day hoping I would catch a crane or even better - the elusive Braal. At the end of the day I went to inspect the trap and on picking it was horrified to see a snake biting onto the frog. The snake freaked and went one way, I freaked and ran the other way! Lost a nice set of line and hooks that time.
I had initiated some of my cousins who visited to this sport and they were hooked. My cousin who hails from a dry city called Pudukottai still vividly remembers the fishing vacation he had spent with me. I had also introduced some of my city friends to it and they were put off by the "unclean" water, slimy fish etc. And I was wondering how could someone not enjoy fishing!
Every time I travel along the East Coast Road in Chennai, I see fisheries and prawn hatcheries and warm memories flood my mind. The day of incessant rains and incessant joys. I still dream of running a fish farm some day. Some dreams are just impossible to kill, not even the pressure of today's cut throat world can kill these dreams. I'm glad I have one of those.
For me it was fishing. As a kid, all I wanted to do all day long was fish. Fish in ponds, fish in rivers, fish in gutters (gutters in Calicut in those days were for draining excess waters that came with the abundant rains), fish in back waters, fish in wells (Most homes in my area in Calicut had fish in them). I used to dream of fishing, I used to have vivid colourful dreams of big ornametal fish with long flashy coloured tails in a well that had bluish water.
Two months a year I would be home away from boarding school. Two months of blissful days in the sunny and rainy days of Kerala. I actually liked the monsoon days where it would rain incessantly for days together, me and my changathis (Malabari slang for friends) would take out bicycles, our local fish hooks and lines, dig up some worms and head for the Puthiyara river with no raincoats or umbrellas;just pure excitement and hope of a good time with buddies. My parents had actually branded me as "Mukkuvan" -meaning fisherman in local parlance, and me and my buddy had decided that once we grew big we would own fish farms.
Every species of fish was fascinating. I obviously didn't know their scientific names, but local Malayalam names are seared into my memory and refuse to be erased by the years that have passed by. I did a small online research on these and here are some of the species I have caught - never by myself, always with the help of my super resourceful,patient and skilled friend.
1. Pilaapi - Tilapia??
2. Chanagaparichi - ???
3. Paral - Giant Danio
4. Chooli - ???
5. Muzhu -Walking catfish
6. Kadu - Stinging catfish (My buddy used to say when pricked by the sharp cartlage on this fishes fin, the hand gets paralysed and the only solution is to pee on it - never had the opportunity to test it )
7. Chemmeen- Fresh water prawn (Yep - we had freshwater prawns)
8. Sucker cat (I have no idea why we referred to it as that) - Tank Goby
9. Vaalan - Dorab wolf herring
Like every story my fishing story too had a climax, or an anti climax if you will. I never managed to catch a "Braal" - called the "Banded snake head" in English. I was constantly in pursuit of this monster. I had even got many a glimpse of it in the huge gutter right outside my house. I had tried netting it, hooking it - but never was I able to catch one. I followed a neighbors advice and tried to catch it using live cockroaches as bait and still never worked. And I think that was destiny keeping that one activity for me to go back to childhood days and relive a passion.
Our days would begin by about 9, we would meet up at my place and as we dug for worms the place of the days catch would be finalized and if we didn't find the usual spots as exciting, we would scourge the city for newer marches, newer ponds, newer species. We got home for lunch, placed our catch in drums and went back for the second half returning by about 6 or 7. I remember once coming back after a long day of fishing and noticing two bite marks on my ankle. My mother freaked out and my dad asked me to chew on black pepper. When I told him I felt the burning of pepper, it was decided that it was not snake bite, or even if it was there was no venom in my body - I now wonder how reliable that methodology is and shudder!
Another incident that comes to mind - I once hooked a live frog onto my rod and line and left it for a day hoping I would catch a crane or even better - the elusive Braal. At the end of the day I went to inspect the trap and on picking it was horrified to see a snake biting onto the frog. The snake freaked and went one way, I freaked and ran the other way! Lost a nice set of line and hooks that time.
I had initiated some of my cousins who visited to this sport and they were hooked. My cousin who hails from a dry city called Pudukottai still vividly remembers the fishing vacation he had spent with me. I had also introduced some of my city friends to it and they were put off by the "unclean" water, slimy fish etc. And I was wondering how could someone not enjoy fishing!
Every time I travel along the East Coast Road in Chennai, I see fisheries and prawn hatcheries and warm memories flood my mind. The day of incessant rains and incessant joys. I still dream of running a fish farm some day. Some dreams are just impossible to kill, not even the pressure of today's cut throat world can kill these dreams. I'm glad I have one of those.
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