A walk with Peter Papri, head of the Machimar Sangh, Manori Beach (Shaina Anand)

A walk with Peter Papri, head of the Machimar Sangh, Manori Beach

Director: Shaina Anand; Cinematographer: Shaina Anand

Duration: 00:13:53; Aspect Ratio: 1.778:1; Hue: 54.079; Saturation: 0.033; Lightness: 0.574; Volume: 0.117; Cuts per Minute: 7.848; Words per Minute: 65.521

A conversation with Peter Papri, head of the Machimar Sangh, Manori Beach.

Man walks along a beach strewn with plastic.

Interview subjects: pollution, dumping ground, city waste, recycling, garbage
- The plastic comes out of the creek from the dumping ground in Gorai.
- They put it from the dumping ground into the water?
- No it falls off from the edges since the dumping ground is more than full. So it all fills up here.
- You mean it comes from the city's dumping ground?
- Yes. Whatever falls of from the edges comes into the Manori Creek. And it really causes problems. In the monsoon this area is completely filled (with plastic). It's because the wind blows this way. It doesn't reach the other side. We don't use any plastic. We recycle our plastic nets. If they get spoiled we make rope out of them.
Come let's walk.

(Hindi)
city
dumping ground
garbage
pollution
recycling
waste
Manori Village
beach
plastic
Manori Beach, Mumbai
SEZ
Special Economic Zone
fish
garbage
job
land rights
land use
occupation
sea
trade
traditional occupation

Man walks along a beach strewn with plastic.

Interview subjects: boat owners, business, dividing profits, caste, hissa, bunder, export agents, purchase
They (boat owners) will ask "willl you come on our boat?" then accordingly they will take people on their boat and take their share of it. And then, depending on the catch, everybody gives the owners something. So it's not like a fixed job. As many partners as there are, that's how many nets there will be.
So this is not divided on caste?
No there's no caste difference (jati bhed). Basically, the net is used by a 17-18 year old man. If he goes alone then he has to pay half the share to the boat owner. If two people go then the owner gets only one share. And if there are 7 people on the boat then it's 7 parts (hissa) and one more separate one for the boat. The boat gets an extra share.
Then others purchase it? How does that division happen?
"Purchase" happens like this - if the boat has a large catch, export quality, the agents come to the shore (bunder) and pick it up.
Who picks it up?
On the bunder the "agents for export quality" come.
I didn't understand. In Bandra? Means?
Here, here, on the shore (kinaara).
Oh, on the shore, aha, sorry.
The kinaara is called a bunder.
Oh, I was thinking Bandra!
So their men (export agents) come to the shore and pick up the catch. Then the smaller stuff that's left is picked up by people like Hareshwar and Lilu who then take it to the market themselves. And mostly, buyers take it directly to Malad as well.

(Marathi)
agents
boat owners
business
caste
export
profits
purchase

- You see this? This is dry fish. We take this to the markets at Marol and Sewri. And about 70-80% of the people in Manori depend on this.
And you put this in your bhajis?
No, I mean in the monsoons even we eat this. In bhajis and things.

(Marathi)
Man walks up to a woman drying fish and piling it into baskets.

Interview subjects: dried fish
baskets
drying
fish
dried fish

Man stands in area meant for drying fish and talks.

Interview subjects: dried fish, land, government, verbal and written agreements
agreements
drying fish
government
land
- Our people have been drying fish here since before. And when I say before I mean since very very long ago and now we've taken this space from the Government (Gagangiri). Our people used to do this before and continue to do it now. We've just cemented the flooring. So in that sense its not new. If this place goes from the people then they will be no place to dry and it will be a problem (mushkil) for Manori.
- But the government gave it to you?
- Yes, it's 8 acres and yet it's not adequate. So like this we've had an agreement of sorts with them.
- With whom? With the Gagangiri people?
- Yes to say we are doing this here... its a verbal agreement (tondi, nothing so far in writing (lekhi).
- No lekhi as yet, yes but thats important.
And it looks bad that building. What have they made?
- Its a temple (mandir).

(Marathi)
verbal
written

View of the fish drying area with fisherwomen carrying baskets and fish drying on bamboo stands. Sea visible in the horizon.
baskets
carrying
fish
fish drying
horizon
sea
drying
fisherwomen

Fisherwomen make bunches of ribbon fish for drying as man talks.

Interview subjects: dried fish
- This is for drying. These bunches are tied and will be dried.
- But this is not Bombay duck, right?
- No, this is ribbon fish. It's usually bigger. These are small.
- and do you dry Bombay duck?
- Yes it's up there.
- Do you salt the fish when you dry them.
- No no, we dry them just like that.

(Hindi)
ribbon fish
dried fish

Fisherwoman sifts dried fish.
- The husk will go in your eye.
- That's ok. It looks very good. Here look at it in the screen.
- Regina, look here at the camera.
- Don't feel shy.

(Hindi/Marathi)
fisherwoman
sifts

Pan of fisherwomen sweeping dried fish into mounds. Dried fish and the sea visible in the background.
- There's less Bombay duck right now. Otherwise it's usually full.

(Marathi)
bombay duck
fisherwomen
sea

- We get Rs. 250-200 for a kilo of dried fish. But it does take a lot of time to make this.
- And there must be a lot of dried fish in one kilo.
- Yes
- Because it's so light.
- But you know, even if prawns go bad, if you dry them they taste absolutely fresh.
- Your village is amazing. And the city is so close.

(Marathi)
Pan of fisherwomen sweeping dried fish into mounds. Dried fish and the sea visible in the background as man talks.

Interview subjects: Price of dried fish, Proximity to Mumbai.
mumbai
price

Man talks about lobster.
Interview subjects: Depletion of lobster catch
- 10-15 years ago one boat would catch 100-150 kilos of lobster. But now you don't even get 10 kilos. That's how much difference there is in this particular part of the sea.
- But this water must also be quite polluted.
- I don't think it's the pollution. In my opinion the stock is less. And nowadays you find really small ones. But they're only worth anything if they weigh 1-1.5 kilos.

(Marathi)
catch
depletion
lobster

Various shots. Pan of fisherwomen sweeping and sifting dried fish with sea in the background.
dried fish
fisherwomen
sea

Shot of shore with palm trees and sunset pan to opposite shore with t.v. tower and city skyline.

Interview subjects: Mumbai, nature, preserving Manori.
city
- Kanyakumari
- It looks like a postcard
- This is like a village inside Bombay.
- Exactly, it's so close to the city.
- And if you look on the other side you can see the whole city and if you look here you feel like you are lost somewhere in the world.
- That's what we are saying - that if this place remains the way it is it's good for everyone the people of Bombay as well. If they have two days off, like on Saturday and Sunday, they can just come over in no time.

(Hindi)
manori
mumbai
nature
palm trees
preserving
shore
skyline
sunset
t.v. tower

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