About two years ago, a college student from Kodaikanal drowned at Marina beach. K Vinoth, a fisherman from Kasimedu, had gone along with a few others in the locality to retrieve the body. “His mother cursed the sea,” recalls Vinoth, “I can never forget the anguish in her voice.”
Vinoth felt bad for her, but also for the sea. “The sea is our god; it gives us life,” he says. That encounter stayed in his mind. “I’ve always wanted to do something to prevent tourists from drowning at sea when they venture in for a swim,” he says.
Six months ago, Vinoth got down to business, through an initiative named Ocean Awareness that he had originally founded to spread word about keeping beaches plastic-free.
“We wrote to the Fisheries Department telling them that we are willing to pitch in to deal with the situation,” he says.
“Fishermen associations in North Chennai have long been writing to authorities on the issue,” he explains. “The Indian Fisherman Association, for instance, has been doing so for years.”
The State Government came forward to fund their idea — last month, 20 young men from the fishing community were trained by Pune-based Rashtriya Life Saving Society (India), a branch of the Royal Life Saving Society (Commonwealth), headquartered in the UK.
In their element
“We received theoretical as well as practical training on life-guarding,” says Febin Francis John, who is among those trained. The son of a fisherman, the 30-year-old is now a businessman.
The youngsters were trained over seven days at the N4 beach (beyond Kasimedu), Marina, and Elliot’s.
While most of those who received training are in their twenties and thirties, at 42, fisherman G Munusamy, is among the oldest.
“He participated so that life-guarding can provide him an additional income,” adds Vinoth.
The sea and its currents are not new to these men. Although he doesn’t fish for a livelihood, K Ajith, a college student from the fishing community, does so to keep in touch with his roots. “The training taught me a lot,” he says. “For instance, we were taught to first speak to the person we’re rescuing before we set out to help them. This is to calm them down and know what’s happening,” he says.
Vinoth says the team hopes to set up baywatch towers at the Marina beach. “As per international standards, there has to be one tower every 25 metres on the beach,” he says, adding, “There should be one lifeguard for every 12 metres.”
Vinoth also adds that the 20 men will train more people in the locality. “We plan to execute our vision within the next two months,” he says.
Beyond city limits
Their idea is to rope in corporates to sponsor the towers. “We are presently looking for sponsors,” he adds. If all goes well, Vinoth hopes to have an army of lifeguards watch over our beaches, all the way up to Mamallapuram.
“We will start with establishing towers every 100 metres at the Marina,” he says. “Soon, we will no longer read in the papers about college students who go missing at sea when they venture in for fun,” says John.
Vinoth says that they will require at least 500 lifeguards for five beaches. “We have enough people,” he says.
The men are raring to go.