*Illustration by Kripa Bombay Ducks Bombay Docks Pratham

Densely populated, marginalised and underrepresented, hundreds of coastal communities inhabit India’s frontlines, bearing witness to the realities of climate change and environmental degradation. Despite the threat of rising sea levels, degrading fish populations, loss of livelihoods, and an onslaught of natural disasters, these coastal communities accept and adapt to the changing ecosystem around them, embodying resilience and resourcefulness. Indian children’s literature has some unique books that contribute to the pressing need for awareness building and collaborative living with these communities. 

The Incredible History of the Indian Ocean, a children’s adaptation of The Ocean of Churn: How the Indian Ocean Shaped Human History by Sanjeev Sanyal is an excellent informative read to embark on a maiden journey through time. From ancient maritime trade routes to modern politics, the book offers engaging insights into the dynamic Indian Ocean that has been a melting pot of cultures, ideas and commodities over centuries.

Several books zoom into the lives of the Koli community that has lived on Mumbai’s coastline for more than 500 years. Lost and Found: In a Mumbai Koliwada by Vinitha and Kripa starts by asking: Are there villages inside cities? The book highlights cityscapes that seem hidden in plain sight, peeling away layers with simple clues and encouraging readers to look harder at the urban spaces they inhabit. Bombay Ducks, Bombay Docks by Fleur D’Souza gently unfolds the life and times of the Koli community, governed by the moods of the sea. Stunning watercolour illustrations by Kripa lead the reader through their daily rituals of drying fish and mending nets, and tales of how the local Bombil fish became the Bombay Duck.

Nandita da Cunha’s Where I Belong: Meera’s Village by the Sea, illustrated yet again by Kripa, is another revealing, heartwarming tale in which little Meera, who lives blissfully in Koliwada, suddenly realises how quickly her world can change when coastal land development disrupts life in her fishing village, affecting livelihoods and compelling her family to rethink their home. 

From the Worli Koliwada Project that helps the Koliwada community earn supplemental income by showcasing their cultural heritage to the Chennai Climate Action Group that advocates for the rights of current and future generations of human and other life-forms along its coastline, we have heartening instances of activism across India. Inspired by one such event – the Versova Beach clean-up in Mumbai – The Miracle on Kachhua Beach by Nandita da Cunha tells the story of young Ori, who stumbles upon the fact that kachra (garbage) beach in his neighbourhood was once kachhua (turtle) beach. Priya Kuriyan’s vivid, sensorial, mixed-media illustrations narrate a motivating story of how even one child can bring about a ​‘sea’ of positive change, uniting a community to restore their land. One can feel the joy when the cleaned-up beach unexpectedly welcomes its first batch of Olive Ridley turtles!

In the aptly named Shorewalk, ​‘environmental defender’ Yuvan Aves advocates a culture of shore walking with local communities. Little Kadalamma walks along a Chennai beach with her fisherman grandfather and learns about the local geography, currents, winds, coastal biodiversity, the myriad interconnections in the coastal ecosystem and the way of the fisherfolk.

The recently published Boat Builders of the Coromandel: A Craft and its Makers tells a visually-rich story of a group of craftsmen who build large wooden cargo boats with their bare hands and simple tools. Stunning photographs showcase the strength, skill and dexterity of the boat-builders as they go about their work, taking readers on a journey through the boatyards on India’s eastern coast. 

Local communities and small-scale fisherfolk have long been the custodians of India’s remarkable coastal ecosystems, but their profound wisdom and connectedness are fraying under the onslaught of climate change and unsustainable development. Coastal conservation needs to begin by collaborating with local coastal communities. This alone can lead to a healthy blue planet as well as a more just, equitable and sustainable society. As the prescient quote by Rumi goes: You are not a drop in the ocean. You are the entire ocean in a drop. 

About the author:

Archana Natraj is a transportation systems engineer who currently follows her passion for teaching, storytelling and reading. She runs the Facebook group Grey Matters and conducts creative writing courses and teen life skills workshops.

List of book recommendations from the piece:

1. The Incredible History of the Indian Ocean (Penguin India)
2. Lost and Found: In a Mumbai Koliwada (The People Place Project)
3. Bombay Ducks, Bombay Docks (Pratham)
4. Where I Belong: Meera’s Village by the Sea (Katha)
5. The Miracle on Kachhua Beach (Kalpavriksh)
6. Shorewalk (Tulika Publishers)
7. Boat Builders of the Coromandel: A Craft and its Makers (Tara Books)