Nitya Rao

Alessandra Silver

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She was only 17 when she began trading at the Cuddalore fishing harbour. All that she had going for her was Rs. 1,800; capital her mother gave her to set up her business. Today, Veni, 62, is a successful auctioneer and vendor at the harbour. Like the house she’s proud of having constructed with great difficulty, she has also built her business “step by step”.Veni raised four children single-handed, after her husband, who was an alcohol addict, left her. Her daily earnings were low, and barely enough to survive. With the emergence of ring seine fishing, she invested in boats, borrowing money in lakhs. The returns on her investment enabled her to educate her children, and build a house. Ring seine fishing gained popularity on the Cuddalore coast from the late 1990s, but its use increased rapidly after the 2004 tsunami. The ring seine gear uses encircling techniques to catch passing schools of marine pelagic fish such as sardine, mackerel and anchovies.

Watch video: &#39;I am where I am because of my hard work&#39;

The need for large capital investments and demand for labour made small-scale fishers form groups of shareholders, sharing both costs and returns. This was how Veni became an investor and grew her business. Ring seine boats opened up opportunities for women, as auctioneers, vendors and driers of fish. “Thanks to the ring seine, my status grew in the society,” says Veni. “I became a bold lady, and so I came up.”While the boats are exclusive male spaces, as soon as they land at the harbour, women take over – from auctioning the catch to vending fish, from cutting and drying the fish to disposing of the waste, from selling ice, to tea and cooked food. Though fisher women are usually characterised as fish vendors, there are an equal number of women who take on the tasks of fish handling, often working in partnership with the vendors. But little recognition is given to both the value and diversity of women’s contributions to the fisheries sector.

For women like Veni, and even the younger Bhanu, their incomes form the financial backbone for their families. But they see their work as lacking respect and social value. Their contributions, both direct and indirect, are invisibilised.In 2018, the government of Tamil Nadu banned the ring seine gear for its role in contributing to over-fishing, including of juvenile fish, and destroying the marine environment. The ban has destroyed Veni’s livelihood, and of many other women like her. From 1 lakh rupees in a day, her earnings have fallen to 800-1,200 rupees per day. “I have lost nearly 1 crore rupees because of the ban on ring seine,” says Veni. “Lakhs of people have been affected, not just me.” Yet the women continue working, supporting each other through hard times, taking time off to build solidarity, not giving up.The film featuring Veni is written in collaboration with Tara Lawrence and Nicolas Bautes. This story is part of a series of 25 articles on livelihoods under lockdown, supported by the Business and Community Foundation. Read also: <a id="17542" linktype="page">Puli gets by on shells, scales, heads and tails</a>

Veni’s story: ‘becoming a bold lady’

مچھلیوں کے کاروبار میں تاریخ رقم کرنے والی، وینی کی کہانی

वेणी ‘बिनधास्त बाई’ कशी झाली त्याची गोष्ट

ਇੱਕ ‘ਬਹਾਦੁਰ ਔਰਤ’ ਬਣਨ ਤੱਕ ਦੀ ਵੇਨੀ ਦੀ ਦਾਸਤਾਨ

ভেনি নামের এক 'দুঃসাহসী নারী’র কথা

వేణి కథ: ‘సాహసిక మహిళ’గా మారిన వైనం

ஒரு தைரியமான பெண்ணாக மாறுதல்

ভেনিৰ ষ্ট’ৰি: ‘এগৰাকী সাহসী মহিলা’ৰ কাহিনী

ବେଣୀ: ଜଣେ ସାହସୀ ମହିଳାଙ୍କ କାହାଣୀ

‘ഒരു ധീരവനിത’യിലേക്കുള്ള പ്രയാണം: വേണിയുടെ കഥ

વેણીની વારતા: 'એક સાહસિક સ્ત્રી'નું અવતરણ

ವೇಣಿ ʼಧೈರ್ಯವಂತ ಮಹಿಳೆಯಾದʼ ಕತೆ

मर्दों की दुनिया में अपने दम पर व्यापार खड़ा करने वाली मछुआरिन की कहानी

Cuddalore

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Veni’s story: ‘becoming a bold lady’

From vending to auctioneering at the Cuddalore fishing harbour in Tamil Nadu, Veni’s success stands out amidst the struggles of women handling and selling fish. These films tell their story

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