History . . . .

Fish workers in Kerala have a tradition of having been unorganised and neglected by the mainstream politicians, political parties, and governments. The vested interest lobbies used to exploit fish workers on the basis of caste and religion. Political parties had been successful in maintaining the fish workers as a vote bank. This state of affairs had been detrimental to the interests of the fish workers.

The fishing community in Kerala belongs to the social categories of Mukkuva & Anjootty (Latin Catholic), Dheevara (Hindu) and Pooislan (Muslim).

It was in this context that a group of young and dedicated social workers, progressive members of the Christian clergy and members from a few voluntary organisations got together in 1969-70 and formed independent unions in several districts of Kerala, both coastal and inland. These unions were united under an umbrella body, Kerala Swathanthra Malsya Thozhilali Federation in 1980.

" The Fish Workers Movement in Kerala was not something that propped up in one fine morning in the minds of some enlightened teachers or of some priests, driven by their charity-mindset. Rather, the conditions of the fish workers with their painful life situations forced them to have an organised resistance. Along with that, the socio-economic changes and the developments at the national and international levels in relation with the socio-political perspectives got reflected into the fishermen activism and as engraved new chapters of spurt in the movement. " (Oru Samara Kadha - The Story of a Struggle - P.13-14)

A group of enlightened activists emerged within the fishing community during 1950-60's. Most of them were teachers. Naturally, they surfaced into leadership in their respective communities. Realising the life issues of their brethren, this emotionally charged group, eventually opened up pathway for the organisation and leadership. By this way, under the protection of the umbrella of the political parties, people's forums were formed aimed at the welfare of the fishermen. Initially, it was for the nourishing of the communist movement that the peoples' forums were formed. At the forefront of these fishermen movement was those early activists of the leftist trade unions and the active workers of the Punnappra-Vayalar struggles like Simon Asan and his associates. While, those workers in other sectors got organised into trade unions and many of them emerged as political leaders during those days, the fish workers neither became an organised force nor did some of them rise into the mainstream political arena. Then came up the trade unions of the Congress party following the early trade unions initiated by the Communist movement".

Alappuzha Inland Fishermen Society was one of these early forms of trade unions. Though these people's forums (patronised by the Congress party) survived for a longer period, these could neither grow into political presser groups, nor could its' leaders emerge into as effective mainstream political power wielders. There are two reasons for this: 1. the upper caste domination, discrimination against the backward castes and blocking the emergence of the leaders of these backward communities, which as we know still continues in more subtle forms. Not even a single leader came up from the fishermen background, then and now, and 2. the fact that the fishing community was not even aware of the need of the organised moves. It was too late when the fishermen realised the need of getting into an organised force. The Marxian perspectives had no much influence in the coastal villages. Again it took long days for the sweeping of independent thinking and progressive perspectives. (Oru Samara Kadha - The Story of a Struggle - P.15-17) >>More