India has been time and again ravaged by natural calamities and if one takes into account the density of India's population, one could say that this time the disaster was less in scale, (15, 000 deaths nevertheless). It is the states of South East India: Tamil Nadu, Pondichery, Andaman and Nicobar Islands which have been most seriously affected. The Tsunami has left in its wake thousands of helpless, traumatized people who lost everything they had in a few minutes.

Although the sea is an important facet of Indian culture, Indians do not have the symbiotic relationship that Sri Lankans have with the sea.

Massi Magam, one of the biggest religious festivals of South India
when people and gods have a ritual sea bath.

Mass tourism, with hotels on the beach, almost does not exist, the government having strict rules about coastline construction.

Fishermen constitute one of the poorest communities of india (average income, less than 1 Euro a day).
In Pondicherry 1500 families have been affected by the Tsunami; 500 amongst have suffered irreparable losses These people had very few belonging : a palm leaf hut on the beach, some pots and pans and a fishing raft made up of tree trunks: the katumaran meaning "tied wood" in Tamil.

Katumarans on the beach... image from the past

fiber-glass katumaran after the tsunami

Many have lost everything, including what they need to restart their lives. Their freedom is at stake too because eventually they will be forced to immigrate to big cities to settle in one of their ever expanding slums.


As we live in Pondichery, we've decided to do something.

Around boat builders Lionel and Martine Mallard, good wills gathered to bring life to a project which aims to provide free boats and nets to as many fishermen as possible so that can resume their daily activities.

Lionel supervising the progress of the prototype in his shipyard.

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