K Sukant Rao (48) knows the heavy toll natural disasters take on the lives and livelihoods of families and has mutely watched his years of hard work being razed to the ground under the impact of Nature’s fury. On May 3 2019, when the extremely severe cyclonic storm Cyclone Fani struck the coast of Odisha, his house in the fishing colony of Penthakata in the coastal town of Puri was destroyed and his boat was damaged beyond repair. The devastating cyclone made him understand the importance of economic resilience with community-based coping strategies in the aftermath of any disaster. Sukant Rao is one among the many Telugu-speaking fishermen, who migrated to Odisha many decades ago from various parts of Andhra Pradesh in search of livelihood.
Located at the northern end of the coastal stretch, Penthakata is away from all the rush of tourists. Here, the nomadic but now settled as domicile, the Telugu community of fisherfolk reside. The locality is home to more than 7,000 people of the community, belonging to the neighbouring state of Andhra Pradesh.
Penthakata’s Telugu-speaking fisherfolk community confronts many vulnerabilities, including language barriers and risks during livelihood activities in the sea including cyclone damage, adverse weather conditions, and inadequate logistical support, among others.
