Lakshmi: A Tamil Woman of Two Countries

Amongst the last vestiges of Dhanushkodi, stood a humble yet steady kiosk. Behind the slightly tall kiosk, seated a pleasant elderly woman, named Lakshmi. Lakshmi, 52, said selling jewellery items was her side job, apart from helping other fishermen. 

Originally from Ceylon (now Sri Lanka), she returned to India along with 300,000 Indians who were repatriated in the early 1950s.

"It was hard, coming to India and settling again, but my mother told me India had a better climate and ample fish," said Lakshmi, remembering her journey while gleaming with nostalgia.

"My four brothers went ahead with father while my younger brother accompanied me and my mother," she added. Her mother was a labourer in the fishing community, and Lakshmi continued the tradition. Like other fishermen in Dhanushkodi, Lakshmi collects the shells and scales from dead fish while cleaning the captured fish. Then, along with the others from the village sends the shells to cleaning factories in Rameshwaram. Apart from the usual lockets and earrings, the kiosk had an array of auburn items. The objects seemed to reflect a peculiar charm as its seller."

Lakshmi's stall showcasing items she made only 500-600 Rs per day,

About pricing items, Lakshmi said: "From customers, we take only the money required for cutting and cleaning and do not include other costs such as transportation. Transport facility is not available every day. Only one common vehicle leaves from Dhanushkodi to Rameshwaram once or twice a week."

Unlike other sellers in the area, Lakshmi's daily income was less than Rs 500 in tourist season, and less than 300 on other days. “My husband died 10 years ago, we used to earn about Rs 700-800 then.”

Vaguely pointing towards her hut, she said: “After the cyclone, I built this hut. My sons refused to give me a shelter. I have five children. No one takes care of me, which makes me very sad.”

“I somehow manage to make my ends meet with the little money I get,” she added.

The cyclone hit Dhanushkodi in 1964. Since then, the uninhabited town lives to tell tales of many such fisherfolk like Lakshmi, struggling to strike a balance as rivalry between India and Sri Lanka over fishing rights continues to grow.

Surrounded by the Indian Ocean and the Bay of Bengal, Dhanushkodi has a quaint charm. The so-called ghost town is situated to the South-East of Pamban, and is just 29 km west of Talaimannar in Sri Lanka.

Once, a busy port town with a working post office and a railway station is now just a pristine beach town, comprising of 50 fisherfolk dwellings.