Essay --

Trading education to fish for their lives/ Choosing shores over schools Kumar*, 16 is among the many children in Pamban village of Rameshwaram who forego education and venture into the sea to earn a living for their families. While key decisions about sharing of waters between Indian and Sri Lankan fishermen are awaited, the fishing hamlet of Anthoniar Nagar in Rameshwaram has children as young as 11 years accompanying fishermen in their country boats. At four feet tall, Kumar* is small for his age. After his father abandoned the family, he dropped out of school in class VIII and turned breadwinner of his family. â€Å"Nobody forced us to go fishing,† he said and introduced his friend Joseph*, a soft-spoken skinny boy of 11 who was almost a foot taller than him. Kumar* claimed that Joseph* willingly went fishing with his father to provide for his family of seven. â€Å"It’s been three years since I went to school,† said Joseph*. He said that the Indian Navy caught boats with children in them and that yet they went about 50-60 feet deep. â€Å"I don’t go to school but at least I earn for my fam...