‘‘.The wind lies asleep in the arms of the dawn like a child that has cried all night. Come, let us gather our nets from the shore and set our catamarans free.’’Sarojini Naidu’s famous lines on the Coromandel fishermen could not have been more inspiring at any other time. But for thousands of fishermen here, this is like no other time. Pongal, the biggest festival is just three days away, but they are languishing in relief camps or are being packed into trucks and taken to temporary relief shelters.Normally, during this time of the year, the mood in the fishing villages is totally different. ‘‘It is a big festival here. Everyone cleans their houses, perform puja and some even buy new clothes,’’ said S Jaibal, honorary chairman of Nagapattinam Fishworkers Union. ‘‘But you can see the villages today. Everyone is in despair. There will be no celebration this time — some don’t even have their houses.We will collectively perform puja at all the mass graves, that’s all,’’ he added.Fishermen who have returned to their villages are trying to pick up the threads. ‘‘This is the worst year I can remember. We do have bad years when there is not enough catch. But this is on a different scale. Pongal will just come and go,’’ said a fisherman, S. Raju. He was one of the lucky few whose house survived the waves.In Serthur, 25 km from Nagapattinam, fishermen have, however, decided to try and take a boat out into the sea. Just for a ride. ‘‘We are still very scared of the sea. But on Pongal we wont sit at home..may be some of us will go out in a boat just to quietly celebrate,’’ said Vedamalai.Even in Nagapattinam town and Nagore, the mood is subdued. It is evident from the quiet counter of Radha Lodge which would otherwise have received many orders by this time for ‘Pongal dish’ to be delivered on January 14. ‘‘There are very few orders. In fact, we have not yet decided whether we will prepare the delicacy or not. No one is in a mood to celebrate,’’ said its owner, Vardharajan.Meanwhile, hundreds of people from relief camps have been shifted to temporary shelters erected at some places in Nagapattinam. The first batch was in fact brought to a temporary shelter erected behind the ITI college near the Nagapattinam district collectorate.
