The city is asleep. Streetlights are still on.
But in the coastal villages, one house has light.
He is already up. The first man
No coffee machine. No commute.
Just a flask of tea, a prayer, and a boat that’s waiting.
His name won’t be in headlines today.
But without him, there would be no headlines about food prices tomorrow.
The Sea Doesn’t Negotiate
He checks the sky, not an app.
His grandfather taught him: read sky in morning, take warning.
His phone has two bars. The loan app has reminders.
He goes anyway.
Because four people at home are counting on him.
Because the middleman already advanced money.
Because if he doesn’t go today, the net stays empty tomorrow.
When the sea is calm, he is a provider.
When the sea is angry, he is a gambler with his life.
Cyclones don’t ask for ID cards. Waves don’t care about EMIs.
The Invisible Supply Chain
By 10 AM his catch is in the market.
By 1 PM it’s on your plate.
From boat → auction → truck → market → hotel → you.
Five hands touch it. He gets the smallest share.
We talk about “food security” in AC rooms.
He creates it with salt on his skin and sleep in his eyes.
What He’s Really Carrying
It’s not just fish.
It’s loans.
It’s a daughter’s school fees.
It’s the fear that the sea will be empty for his son.
It’s plastic in the net. It’s fuel prices. It’s rules made far from the shore.
He doesn’t ask for charity.
He asks for 3 things:
Respect. Fair price. A future.
This Is Our Story Too
The fisherman is called unskilled labor in reports but he can read wind, tide, moon, and cloud.
That’s a PhD written in experience.
The next time you scroll past news about “fisheries policy” or “marine heatwaves,”
remember the first man who was awake.
His struggle is not just a coastal issue.
It’s a food issue. A climate issue. A human issue.
If his boat sinks, our food system shakes.
If his daughter gets an education, our coast gets stronger.
Closing remarks
He leaves before we wake up.
He risks so we can eat.
The least we can do is see him.
He is not just a fisherman.
He is the first man awake for all of us.
Apeksha R. Tandel
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