My first impression of the Harnai fish market is all the time chaos. The odor of fish, the sound of fisherwomen shouting and buffaloes lowing, and the sight of brightly colored nauvari saris, chunky gold jewelry, and heaps of freshly-caught fish. I by no means know which of my senses to observe first.
It’s additionally a chaos that I by no means tire of — ever since I first visited the city in Dapoli, within the south of Maharashtra, in 2012. Every go to is a discovery. But what I hold coming again to {photograph} are the fisherwomen, beneath whose robust management the market thrives.
Starting work, their nauvari sari tied firmly
| Photo Credit:
Indrajit Khambe
Theirs is a captivating mix of traits: from their distinctive apparel, the yards of vivid oranges, deep greens and vivid yellows tucked functionally tight round their legs, to the recent gajras of mogra, roses and champa of their hair.
The ladies sport handmade gajras with flowers picked from their backyards
| Photo Credit:
Indrajit Khambe
Their jewelry displays the ocean, with motifs of fish and different creatures. The ladies’s fashion is their very own distinctive type of advertising; it helps them entice prospects and stand out within the bustling market to their regulars.
Their jewelry displays the ocean
| Photo Credit:
Indrajit Khambe
Intricate gold jewelry is a favorite
| Photo Credit:
Indrajit Khambe
Fights are regular, laughter follows quickly after, and it’s a typical sight to see them get pleasure from a well-deserved ice cream on the finish of an extended day.
Ice cream break
| Photo Credit:
Indrajit Khambe
A fast breather through the day
| Photo Credit:
Indrajit Khambe
What is most fascinating, nonetheless, is how they proceed traditions which might be quick dying out elsewhere. Especially bartering. Fishing communities sometimes dwell near the ocean, and their homes are clustered collectively, leaving restricted area for cultivating.
So, they barter with ladies from neighbouring villages, who go to with heaping baskets of seasonal greens and fruits resembling tendli (ivy gourd), aubergines, mangoes, cashewnuts, and jamun.
Many of the fisherwomen who put on the nauvari immediately are of their 50s and 60s
| Photo Credit:
Indrajit Khambe
Daily life on the fish market is full of power, onerous work, and pleasure. But change is coming. The youthful technology now not favours nauvari saris; so, the well-dressed ladies I see immediately are all of their 50s and 60s. A jetty can also be being constructed, which implies I’ll miss seeing buffaloes ready patiently knee deep in water, as males load fish into the bullock carts.
Skilled and adaptable
| Photo Credit:
Indrajit Khambe
A snapshot from their day
| Photo Credit:
Indrajit Khambe
Change isn’t all the time unhealthy; it’ll make life on the market simpler for its denizens. It may also make for much less fascinating photographs.
The documentary photographer is predicated in Sindhudurg, close to the Goa-Maharashtra border.
