Samikhsya Bureau
Congress MP Shashi Tharoor has recommended Nobel Peace Prize to Kerala fishermen, whose deeds of courage were the main highlight of rescue operations during the floods in the state last year.
“It was during the height of this tragedy that fishermen groups of Kerala, taking great risk to their lives and potential damage to the boats that are the source of their livelihood, jumped into the fray to save their fellow citizens,” he wrote in his letter to the chairperson of the Norwegian Nobel Committee.
“They took their boats inland, and with their expert knowledge of the local conditions, their participation in the ongoing rescue and relief operations proved to be a game changer, as not only they able to pick up stranded personnel in their vicinity, but also instrumental in guiding boats of other rescue teams amidst the swirling waters.”
“Fishermen groups across the country represent some of the most socio-economically underdeveloped segments. Kerala’s fishermen are no exception”, the Congress Party Lok Sabha member from Thiruvananthapuram said. “Inspite of these conditions, as their life saving service during the floods clearly demonstrated, there is an extraordinarily altruistic spirit that animates and drives these coastal warriors of the state.”
“The lasting image of a fishermen bending low in the water so as to allow an older person he had rescued to climb on his back and get on his boat is a particularly striking reflection of this spirit that has been etched into the hearts of a grateful community,” Tharoor mentioned in his letter.
The Norwegian Nobel Committee, comprising five members, is tasked with the responsibility to select appropriate candidates for the Nobel Prize, which is awarded in Oslo in Norway.
Around 500 people died during the severe floods caused by heavy southwest monsoon rain in Kerala. The fishermen emerged as the unsung heroes during the evacuation operations. As many as 1,200 members of the fishermen community pressed at least 460 boats into service to rescue thousands of people from marooned area.
The fishermen rushed to the worst-hit districts of Alappuzha, Pathanamthitta, Ernakulam and Thrissur with their boats just after unprecedented rain and bursting of sluice gates spread devastation. Without the timely intervention of the fishermen, many precious lives would have been lost.
Experts said that the design of their wood and fibre twin-engine country boats proved very effective during the rescue operations because they successfully navigated strong undercurrents and withstood damage by underwater objects. The fishermen’s voluntary contribution to relief work became all the more important as they themselves were economically backward and has suffered heavy damage due to the floods.
After the flood, the state government feted them for their exemplary service. But when the government offered monetary help of Rs.3,000 to each member of the community, the community leaders politely refused saying they were only doing their duty towards society. They only requested the Kerala government to repair their damaged boats free of cost.
The gesture of the fishermen community caught the attention of the country and they were praised for their self-less service. Tharoor is quite right in recommending them for the Nobel Peace Prize.
(With agency inputs)
