The remote Pamban Island off the south-eastern coast of Tamil Nadu has for long been known as the Hindu pilgrimage site Rameshwaram. Today, the film Ram Setu has made it more widely known.
The “setu”, or bridge, is the name devout Hindus have given to the chain of limestone shoals that connects Pamban to Sri Lanka’s Mannar Island; they believe Lord Rama built it to cross over to the island kingdom of Lanka and rescue Sita.
Rameshwaram, too, is a pilgrim spot precisely for this reason; according to the Ramayana, Lord Rama’s mission began here.
Interestingly, this chain of limestone shoals also finds reference in ancient Muslim and Christian texts, where it is referred to as Adam’s Bridge.
But what binds the 1.5 lakh fisherfolk of Pamban — the local population hailing from either the Hindu, Muslim or Christian communities — is not the common thread that is a “bridge” made of limestone shoals that appeals to all faiths.
On this island, where everyone knows everyone, what binds them together is social harmony, community spirit and a common enemy — a climate crisis that is slowly destroying the sea.
And then there is something else as well: A community radio station, called Kadal Osai FM 90.4.
Run by and for fishermen, Kadal Osai has reinforced social bonds and protected fishermen from natural disasters.
“Kadal Osai means sound of the sea,” Gayathri Usman, Kadal Osai station head, tells South First. “And that is exactly what our radio station does — it is the voice of the fishermen for the fishermen.”
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For fishermen, by fishermen
The story of Kadal Osai FM 90.4 goes back a decade, when Pamban fisherman Armstrong Fernando, wanting to do something for his people, thought of starting a radio station on the lines of Pasumai FM, a station based in Dindigul district of Tamil Nadu.
“Pasumai plays a significant role in highlighting the many challenges the farmer community faces in the region,” explains Usman.
“Anna was inspired by them,” she says, using the name by which Fernando is known locally to all.
When Fernando approached the founder of Pasumai FM for advice, he was told he needed to set up an NGO that could run a community radio station.
So in 2012, he took charge of an NGO named Nesakarangal Charitable Trust. On 15 August, 2016, Fernando launched Kadal Osai, meaning the sound of the sea.
“You need to take permissions for a licence to run a community radio station from five different ministries, including the Ministry of Home Affairs and telecommunications. It took four years to get all these approvals,” Gayathri Usman recalls.
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Local programming on Kadal Osai FM 90.4
Ever since then, the station has been running successful programmes based on the sea, weather patterns, climate crisis, the many problems fishermen face, interesting marine trivia, educational segments, and newer ways to improve the livelihoods of the fisherfolk.
Barring Usman, a sound engineer from Madurai, all the nine radio jockeys at Kadal Osai are from the fishing community, and brought up in Pamban.
Usman was roped in to oversee operations at Kadal Osai FM 90.4 in 2018, and by 2019, she was a full-timer. Of her journey, she says it has been a “memorable one” after the “initial hiccups”.
“It was tough at first to get the fisherfolk to tell you their stories, especially since I did not belong to this island,” Usman remembers. “But gradually, they accepted me as one of their own.”
Today, Usman says she considers herself more as a fisherwoman than a city person.
“I barely live in Madurai for six-seven days a month, the remaining time is spent here in Pamban.”
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Changing lives, one show at a time
The radio station operates 24X7, with each segment designed to cover a diverse set of topics relevant to the people of Pamban, such as education, health, equality, climate crisis and marine life.
The first show begins at 6 am, lasts about an hour and aims at motivating listeners. This is followed by weather updates, cyclone warnings, fish prices at the local auctions and employment opportunities with the Indian Coast Guard.
This is the most critical part of the day for listeners, who tune in for the weather reports so they can decide whether to venture into the sea.
Early warning broadcasts by Kadal Osai have saved community members from natural disasters, but it was not always so.
“Initially, people did not trust our weather predictions as we are a private organisation,” Usman says. “What they could not understand is that we are here to work for them.”
How Kadal Osai FM 90.4 built trust
But over time, trust grew with consistency in forecast accuracy, as well as the high quality of service provided.
For instance, when radio signals are lost because of bad weather conditions and villages around the island are cut off, Kadal Osai runs WhatsApp groups to warn the inhabitants of the disturbed sea.
The station also shares updates on low depression on its Facebook page.
India’s fishing communities usually rely on the fisheries department for weather reports. But for Pamban islanders, the updates from the local fisheries department are not much help.
The reason: These updates cover a stretch — from Kanyakumari to the abandoned town of Dhanushkodi in Pamban — that does not concern them; they want updates for their stretch of coast and sea.
“We try to give them accurate information on the wind direction, rain and sea warnings for the stretch that includes Palk Bay, Palk Strait and the Gulf of Mannar,” Usman says.
And so, over the years, Pamban residents have started to count on Kadal Osai FM 90.4 for providing authentic information before getting on with the day.
A recent survey done by Kadal Osai found that out of 1,000 people, 600 listen to the community radio station.
“This is a big win for us,” says Usman contentedly.
A day in the life of…
Fernando says his goal is to help the fisherfolk deal with the many struggles that they grapple with.
“Fishing is the second-riskiest job after mining,” he says. “This has resulted in the rise of alcoholism among the community. At Kadal Osai, we try to address this problem.”
Thus, the station has programmes that provide information on how to come out of it, and offer the fishermen alternative sustainable fishing methods and advice on career opportunities.
Listeners also reach out to the radio station seeking help on issues such as violence against women, child marriage and mental health.
Kadal Osai has also launched various initiatives to motivate the islanders to protect their natural environment and marine life.
On learning that people were breaking turtle eggs and eating them, Fernando started an initiative named “Kadal Kappan” (Sea Saver).
Under this, the villagers are urged to save sea turtles and release them into the sea. They are also asked to send videos of this and win cash awards worth ₹1,000 and an appreciation certificate.
The efforts seem to be paying off, says Fernando.
“Some fishermen are even bringing back plastic waste from the sea on their way home,” he says. “There definitely are some behavioural changes among these people today.”
Looking ahead
Climate crisis has also made life difficult for the community.
“Earlier there were cyclones only once a year,” Usman explains. “But now that has increased along with incidents of low depression.”
A day before South First conducted these interviews, there was a cyclone warning for Sri Lanka. A day later, the winds were strong and it started to pour.
“This doesn’t happen in February,” Usman informs. “In Delhi, smog is an indication of climate change and pollution. Here, changing weather and sea patterns are a sign. For instance, some 40 years ago, winters were not very cold. But it is getting worse now. It gets so cold in the mornings that fishermen cannot go into the sea.”
Currently the radio station is only broadcast for Pamban islanders. But what if they get a chance to take their stories and experiences to the outside world?
Usman says, “I would then urge all Indian citizens to take care of the environment. It is ours as much as it is everyone’s. We all need to work equally towards safeguarding our planet.”
Fernando wishes to take Kadal Osai to a larger audience in the near future through online radio in an app format.
