A Mumbai fisherman. | Puneet Paranjpe/AFP
Most Mumbai residents encounter the sea only on the west coast, bordering the Arabian Sea. The Thane Creek that separates Mumbai from the mainland on its east coast, is unseen as a waterfront. Rather, it is seen as a toxic wetland – water has been made into land through reclamations by the Mumbai Port, the coastline transformed by industrial processes and largely barricaded from public access.
Through our new film,
Sagar Putra, we aim to present a different view of the Thane Creek, one experienced through the everyday practices of one of Mumbai’s fishing villages or koliwadas that are inhabited by the indigenous community of Kolis.