It's 6am. Driving along the coast in Visakhapatnam, the harbour bobbing with brightly-coloured boats paints a pretty picture. A sharp left turn after the Naval Coastal Battery brings one closer to the Fishing Harbour, where it is all a hustle and bustle.
Heaps of baskets spilling over with prawns, crabs, vanjaram (king fish), silvery nethallu and konam (seer fish) are placed inch-to-inch on the ground. Behind these are rows of trawlers waiting to unload their catch. The sound of waves is drowned by loud calls of auctioneers calling out prices for huge baskets of prawn, followed by tough negotiations between suppliers and fishermen. Here, it’s a battle of emotions. Nobody has time to spare as a minute’s delay means losing the auction.
