The vast grey in the blue

Last week’s Pakistani boat incident may have rocked the rest of the country, but off the Porbandar coast, where the boat went up in flames after a chase by the Coast Guards, life goes an as usual — with an added layer of security and fear. (Source: Javed Raja)

Ranil Wickramasinghe has stoked a controversy suggesting that Indian fishermen may be shot if they intruded into Sri Lankan waters.

At the Porbandar port, it is business as usual. Boats, painted in garish shades of red, green and blue, with equally vibrant flags perched on them, gently nudge each other in the shallow waters of the sea. Fishermen load ice, diesel, fresh water and ration onto these boats, enough to last them two weeks on the sea. (Source: Javed Raja)

And yet, beneath this apparent normalcy is a sense of unease and caution. Amidst the plainclothed fishermen and traders are a dozen uniformed men who patrol the shores armed with guns, batons and walkie-talkies. They are Gujarat police’s marine commandos, tasked with looking out for any suspicious activity along the coast. (Source: Javed Raja)

Ever since a Pakistani boat went up in flames off the Porbandar coast on New Year’s Eve, following a chase by a Coast Guard ship, the Gujarat Police is taking no chances. (Source: Javed Raja)

Entry into the Porbandar port, which exports Rs 800 crore worth of fish and fish products every year, has been restricted since January 1. (Source: Javed Raja)

The Coast Guard has also warned fishermen to stay 20 nautical miles short of the International Maritime Boundary Line (IMBL).But every morning, as the ordinary fisherman sets sail, he knows he will have to dare that boundary line till his luck runs out. (Source: Javed Raja)