This photo essay follows the livelihood of the locals of Uttan, a coastal town just north of Mumbai in Thane district of Maharashtra. It traces the journey of their return from the sea to the drying of the fish they catch. It aims to capture this process while highlighting the essence of the town- the fish and the people.

In each family, the male goes out on a small or large boat to fish for almost 5 days. He, along with a few others, catch fish in large nets. Once these fish are brought to the shore they now become the woman’s responsibility to clean, sort, and dry; ready to be taken to the market at the nearby town.

The women collect the fish and then either sort them at the shore itself or at their homes. Once the fishes have been cleaned and sorted into the different varieties including bombil, pomfret, prawns and bangera, they are hung on bamboos and left to dry. The locals use various methods to complete these steps. Once dried, the fish are now ready to be taken to the market to be sold. 

The people here live a simple life and have distinct characteristics that are significant to their culture. Fish are everything to them as they essentially run their households and educate their children with the earnings from selling their fish. The two things you can be assured to find here are plenty of fish and a warm cup of tea at a local’s home!