Fishing with the First Mumbaikars with Ganesh Nakhawa

Mumbai is surrounded by the sea but its residents rarely go out into the water. When you look out at the open sea the only boats that meet the eye are fishing boats. The Kolis—the oldest inhabitants of Mumbai—are the people whose paths do not end where the waves begin. They net, clean and sell the fish that ends up on our thalis.

In this episode, Raghu is joined by Ganesh Nakhawa, who belongs to the Koli community, and has been working to help Koli women to secure their livelihoods. He is also the founder of Blue Catch, which connects people who eat seafood to fresh, traceable and sustainable catch from Mumbai’s traditional fishermen. Nakhawa talks about growing up in a fishing family, the impact of commercial fishing and giving back to the community.