{"id":60568,"date":"2026-04-06T14:28:21","date_gmt":"2026-04-06T18:28:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.thenatureofcities.com\/TNOC\/?p=60568"},"modified":"2026-04-06T14:28:21","modified_gmt":"2026-04-06T18:28:21","slug":"faith-and-the-sea-balancing-progress-and-tradition-in-indian-fishing-communities","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.thenatureofcities.com\/TNOC\/2026\/04\/06\/faith-and-the-sea-balancing-progress-and-tradition-in-indian-fishing-communities\/","title":{"rendered":"Faith and the Sea: Balancing progress and tradition in Indian fishing communities"},"content":{"rendered":"
It is not just a tourist spot or a place of worship; it is home to people whose identity is deeply connected to the sea.<\/blockquote><\/figure>\n

How does a coastal town of temples, rich with sacred heritage, deal with the challenges posed by urbanization, modernity, and tourism?<\/p>\n

Rameswaram, a small-ish south Indian island town covering around 53 sq km, is situated in the Ramanathapuram district of Tamil Nadu\u2015with a population of 44,856 persons as per the 2011 census. It is known for the famous Pamban Bridge and as the birthplace of Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, a scientist and former President of India. It is also a place of great religious importance. The Ramanthaswamy Temple is a deeply revered sacred site, believed to have been established by Lord Rama, and forms a key element in an important religious pilgrimage circuit for Hindus, the Char Dham yatra. The town is known for its spectacular natural beauty. At sunrise and sunset, the sea around Dhanushkodi glows with shifting colours, while yellow crabs and migratory birds gather along the mudflats and lagoons, attracting hundreds of thousands of pilgrims and tourists every year.<\/p>\n

\"Two
The old Pamban Bridge, opened on 24 February 1914, still stands alongside the newly constructed one. Photo: Vivek G<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"A
Scenes from Dhanushkodi\u2014the Ashoka pillar, a sunrise, and yellow crabs along the sandy shore. Photo: Vivek G<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

But behind the picture-perfect view, Rameswaram faces serious challenges. The people who live here, especially those who depend on the sea, are struggling to keep their traditional way of life alive. At the same time, growing tourism brings both opportunities and problems. Among the groups most impacted are the fisherfolk and women collecting seaweed, whose lives are intricately linked to the coastal ecosystem.<\/p>\n

Fishing is an important source of livelihood. The fishing communities include both traditional fishers with indigenous knowledge passed down through generations and modern fishers who operate mechanized trawlers and focus on large-scale trading. During the visit to this place from March 21\u201323, 2025, as part of the background research for Azim Premji University\u2019s annual festival Coast and Oceans of Life<\/em>, I documented how fishing communities live here, including their daily life, struggles, and changing livelihood conditions. During this time, I spoke to a number of fisherfolk who use traditional and modern fishing methods to understand the challenges they face. Traditional fishers use small boats and simple methods passed down from their ancestors. They depend extensively on traditional ecological knowledge passed down by their elders. They hold onto their practices with fierce pride, despite the dwindling fish population near the coast. But many of the traditional fisherfolk are weighed down by debts.<\/p>\n

Arul Antony Muthu, a traditional fisherman, explained \u2015 \u201cWe don\u2019t need modern GPS \u2013 we know the sea. We fix certain landmarks in our mind, and at night we read the stars to find our way back to the shore.\u201d<\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Modern fishers are more financially stable and educated, but still face problems like rising diesel costs and competition from fishers from other states.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe understand breeding seasons better than anyone,\u201d Antony Babu, who uses modern fishing methods, said, contributing a different perspective. \u201cThe fishing ban should be moved from April\u2013June to October\u2013December to reflect ecological realities.\u201d<\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\"Two
Traditional (Kattumaram) vs modern (Trawler) fishing boats. Photo: Vivek G, Antony Babu<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

There is also an underlying tension between the two groups, as traditional fishers feel betrayed by modern methods that yield massive catches and disrupt local ecosystems. On top of that, strict rules prevent fishing in the waters of Sri Lanka, the country adjacent to India, but many still take the risk because of the lack of fish near their coast. Arrests and fines have become a regular threat, yet they feel they have no other choice.<\/p>\n

Women\u2019s lives here are especially tough. While men venture deep into the sea, women collect seaweed closer to the shore. The harvested seaweed is largely exported and processed for additives used in cosmetics, fertilisers, and food products. Seaweed collection, once an economic lifeline, is now declining, possibly because of environmental changes or overharvesting, and they are forced to collect it before it fully grows. This urgent issue requires scientific investigation to understand the underlying causes. While some communities are now focusing on naturally grown seaweed, they still receive far less compensation than the global value of their product. Middle-market intermediaries further exploit the situation, giving them minimal pay. Multinational corporations involved in the seaweed trade also continue to take advantage of local harvesters, treating them as cheap labour despite the economic potential of the resource.\u00a0 Most women involved are older, and the work is both risky and underpaid. Younger generations are opting out, seeking safer and more lucrative opportunities.<\/p>\n

\"Photo
Women involved in Seaweed harvesting and drying along the shore, supporting the livelihoods of coastal communities. Photo: Vivek G<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Tourism, on the other hand, seems like a chance for progress. New hotels, souvenir shops, and guided tours have come up, especially near the Ramanathaswamy Temple and at Dhanushkodi, a town abandoned today but an important tourist spot. However, most of the profits go to outsiders who own these businesses, while local people see very little improvement in their lives. The environment also suffers from this imbalance. Sewage and plastic waste are left along the shores, polluting the land and water. During busy tourist seasons, the problem becomes worse, but local services cannot keep up. Temples are decorated with bright LED lights, while nearby villages often lack basic street lighting or clean water. Although Rameswaram is supposed to be protected by Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) rules, these laws are rarely enforced. New buildings and businesses are developed on fragile land without proper control.<\/p>\n

\"Photo
Tourist activity and souvenir shops along the Dhanushkodi beach. Photo: Vivek G<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Globally, many coastal and island towns are being shaped by tourism from small fishing settlements in Southeast Asia to historic coastal towns in the Mediterranean (Wong, 1998, and Mejjad et al., 2022). Studies on island-city development show that, unlike large mainland cities, islands experience development pressures in a highly compressed form, where tourism growth, traditional livelihoods, and environmental protection must coexist within limited land and fragile ecosystems (Nguyen, 2024). In several global cases, fishing and resource-based livelihoods gradually decline before tourism becomes dominant (Fang et al., 2024). Rameswaram diverges from this pattern. Here, tourism expansion is happening alongside fishing and seaweed collection, rather than replacing them. This simultaneity intensifies competition over coastal land, freshwater, and marine resources. Unlike major Indian coastal cities such as Mumbai, Chennai, or Kochi\u2014where diversified economies and urban infrastructure buffer these transitions\u2014Rameswaram\u2019s small island geography leaves little room for spatial or economic adjustment. This leads to heavy pressure on local livelihoods and the natural environment, increasing inequality and environmental damage.<\/p>\n

\"Photo
A view of the island from the Pamban bridge. Photo: Vivek G<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The island shows us a bigger problem \u2014 how to balance progress and tradition. It is possible to develop tourism and protect traditional livelihoods, but only with careful planning. The government needs to enforce marine protection zones and support local people by providing fair market access, education, and reliable research into changes in the environment. It is not just a tourist spot or a place of worship; it is home to people whose identity is deeply connected to the sea. To protect the island\u2019s future, we must listen to these voices, offer practical solutions, and help both tradition and development grow together. Only then can people live, work, and thrive in harmony with their sacred land.<\/p>\n

Vivek Ganesh<\/strong>
\nBengaluru<\/p>\n

On The Nature of Cities<\/a><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

References<\/strong><\/p>\n

Wong, P. P. (1998). Coastal tourism development in Southeast Asia: relevance and lessons for coastal zone. Ocean & Coastal Management, 38<\/em>(2), 89-109. https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1016\/S0964-5691(97)00066-5<\/a><\/p>\n

Mejjad, N., Rossi, A., & Pavel, A. B. (2022). The coastal tourism industry in the Mediterranean: A critical review of the socio-economic and environmental pressures & impacts.\u00a0Tourism Management Perspectives<\/em>,\u00a044<\/em>, 101007. https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1016\/j.tmp.2022.101007<\/a><\/p>\n

Nguyen, T.N. (2024). The Future of Island City Development from the Perspective of Geographical Science. International Journal of Social Science and Human Research, 7<\/em>(4), 2370-2377. https:\/\/doi.org\/10.47191\/ijsshr\/v7-i04-47<\/a><\/p>\n

Feng, BA, Xiaoyun, LI, Yue, D, and Lixia, T. (2024). Livelihood transformation from fishing to tourism: an adaptive sustainable livelihood framework for understanding lakeside communities of China.\u00a0Frontiers of Agricultural Science and Engineering<\/em>,\u00a011<\/em>(4), 589-601. https:\/\/journal.hep.com.cn\/fase\/EN\/10.15302\/J-FASE-2024560<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

How does a coastal town of temples, rich with sacred heritage, deal with the challenges posed by urbanization, modernity, and tourism? Rameswaram, a small-ish south Indian island town covering around 53 sq km, is situated in the Ramanathapuram district of Tamil Nadu\u2015with a population of 44,856 persons as per the 2011 census. It is known […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1460,"featured_media":60576,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1129,273,298,299],"tags":[47,49,601,649,34,62],"coauthors":[1851],"class_list":["post-60568","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-asia","category-essay","category-essay-people-and-communitites","category-essay-place-and-design","tag-asia","tag-communities","tag-culture","tag-educationknowledgelearning","tag-experiencing-nature","tag-water"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thenatureofcities.com\/TNOC\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/60568","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thenatureofcities.com\/TNOC\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thenatureofcities.com\/TNOC\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thenatureofcities.com\/TNOC\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1460"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thenatureofcities.com\/TNOC\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=60568"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/www.thenatureofcities.com\/TNOC\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/60568\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":60580,"href":"https:\/\/www.thenatureofcities.com\/TNOC\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/60568\/revisions\/60580"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thenatureofcities.com\/TNOC\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/60576"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thenatureofcities.com\/TNOC\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=60568"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thenatureofcities.com\/TNOC\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=60568"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thenatureofcities.com\/TNOC\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=60568"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thenatureofcities.com\/TNOC\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=60568"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}