S. Palayam

S. Palayam, a.k.a. Palayam anna, is an experienced marathukaarar (hook-and-line fisher) from the south Chennai fishing village of Urur Kuppam. Unlike the exalted institutional sciences that produce predominantly elite and upper-caste experts, and whose expertise are accessible only to the powerful, Palayam’s expertise is subaltern, and an essential qualification for any fisher that ventures out to sea and returns home safely – with or without fish.

Marine biologists may be experts on the living beings of the sea; ocean hydrographers may be adept at mapping ocean currents and upwellings; meteorologists study atmospheric phenomena to make sense of the weather.

Not one of these experts needs to be able to venture out to sea, know enough of fish, their habits and habitat, read the weather and ocean conditions with sufficient accuracy to decide on whether a fishing trip would be worth it in terms of physical and financial risk, and return home with fish in their boats and life and limb intact. Artisanal fishers do this every day. The everyday science of artisanal fishers is democratic, freely available and has its own pedagogy of embedded apprenticeship. Along with Nithyanand Jayaraman, he is creating what is called the 'Science of the Seas'. 'Science of the Seas’ is a deep dive into the knowledge systems of the seas as seen from the perspective of artisanal fishers.