# The fisherfolk of Chennai's struggling harbor

> Photographer Viraj Nayar documents the grueling yet deeply fulfilling lives of workers at India's overcrowded Kasimedu Fishing Harbour.
- Title: The fisherfolk of Chennai's struggling harbor · NPR | Shortify
- Summary: Photographer Viraj Nayar documents the grueling yet deeply fulfilling lives of workers at India's overcrowded Kasimedu Fishing Harbour. Despite poverty…
- Keywords: kasimedu fishing harbour, chennai, india, fishing, basket men, migrant labor, viraj nayar, coastal workers, poverty, labor rights, fishing communities, news
- Source: NPR — https://npr.org/2026/09/20/g-s1-143447/photos-fishermen-sea-india
- Published: 2026-09-20T00:00:00+00:00
- Read time: 2 min
- Topics: kasimedu fishing harbour, chennai, india, fishing, basket men, migrant labor, viraj nayar, coastal workers, poverty, labor rights, fishing communities, news
## Basket men of the harbor
Pavadairayan, 60, works 2 a.m. to 7 a.m. carrying 35-pound baskets of fish from boats to auction, making 40 to 50 trips daily for about $5 a day.

> Sleeping with a full belly under open skies, a salt sea breeze fanning your face: that's what I call heaven.
## Few rights, harsh conditions
Supervisors can dock pay and fine basket men thousands of rupees if they suspect fish are missing. Workers have little protection or recourse.

> If supervisors think that fish are missing, they can dock your pay and fine you several thousands of rupees.
## A harbor bursting at seams
Kasimedu serves around 30,000 workers across fishing, auctioneering, hawking, and transport. The harbor was built for 600 boats but now serves over 1,000.
## From smuggler to fish seller
Nandu Kumar, 65, once smuggled alcohol and cigarettes on his boat during India's strict import controls in the 1980s before returning to fishing.
## Tragedy reshapes a life
In December 2010, Kumar's son-in-law drowned after falling from a boat while drunk. Months later, his grieving daughter took her own life.

> This fishing life, it's harshest on the body. Your shoulders ache all the time. Sometimes, alcohol is the only way you can cope and forget the pain.
## From sea to shore
Unable to gamble on fishing's unpredictable catches, Kumar now runs a fish shop at the harbor with steady income to support his two grandchildren.

> With the support of my two sons, I decided to start selling fish.
## Feast or famine rhythm
Fishermen at Kasimedu earn around $200 monthly on good catches, but one bad season or illness can push families into poverty with no safety nets.

> It's feast or famine. That is the rhythm of life at the harbor.
## Invisible labor, little support
Workers have minimal access to government assistance and their labor remains largely invisible to policy makers and the public.

> There are no safety nets. Worse, they have little access to government support and their labor remains largely invisible.
## Youth seek stability, find themselves
Younger generations leave for corporate jobs seeking reliability, but many return to fishing mid-life, drawn by the independence their personalities crave.

> Many of my friends are not happy in corporate jobs or in related industries. Eventually, they do find their way back fishing again.
## Nizamuddin's choice
At 25, Nizamuddin is the only fisherman wearing a wetsuit at Kasimedu. He's put two brothers through school while embracing a hard life he never regretted.

> It's a hard life but I wasn't very good at studying. This is the only work I know and it has helped my family survive.
## The sea's pull never fades
Kumar, now a fish vendor, watches fishermen return at dawn and feels longing for the unpredictable exhilaration of life on a boat.

> It's like your mother's lap. You may travel far and wide, and don't need it anymore, but you will return for the warmth and comfort it gives you.
## Hard but exhilarating
Life on a boat is grueling and unpredictable, yet fishing communities remain bound to the sea by tradition, independence, and deep love.

> Life on a boat is hard, but it is also exhilarating. There are moments when you never know what will happen next.
## Key takeaway

Despite poverty, danger, and precarious work, fishing communities remain bound to the sea by tradition, independence, and a love that transcends hardship.