Angling for children

KOCHI:With the break of the century, vacations have been the season when children kill their time with technology. For some, it is the time to tick movies off their watchlist. For others, ‘tis the season to ‘kill and destroy’ on video games. Whatever the city kids do to pass their time, it involves this.

Picture this. On a fine sunny morning, children between the age of six and 12 are sitting on the edge of a pond with their fishing rods in their hand. Deep in thoughts, they are patiently waiting for the fish to get hooked on the bait. This would probably be the first time in a long time that they have heads engrossed in something other than the apps on their smartphones.

Now wait, don’t be so sceptical about it. Because the primary school students in Kochi will be given the opportunity to try their hand in traditional fishing. The initiative is organised by the Tourist Desk in Ernakulam Boat Jetty, in association with the State Tourism Department.

The initiative was inaugurated on Monday at 4 pm.  The facility is made available in the temporary nursery pond set up at the jetty. ‘Angling’ or traditional way of fishing is a major tourism activity in Western countries. The Tourism Department has found even though Kerala is the land of water bodies, the state is at the bottom of the list when it comes to Angling tourism. The initiative will make children aware of the job opportunities in Angling tourism and pisciculture.

The fishing activity will be open to children from 11 am to 7 pm every day. Fees to take part in the two-hour activity is `25. For more details, contact 9847044688.