For Bakkiyavathi from Pudukuppam, it has been a life spent selling fish. Unlike some women in her village, she cannot remain idle, even when there is a poor landing of fish. She walks to nearby hamlets to procure fish and then walks many kilometres to the central market in the town of Pondicherry. Not long ago, she would cross two estuaries on foot wading through waters to reach a point where she could find transportation to get to the market. Carrying three to four baskets of fish at a time, all by herself, wading through muddy estuaries, is unquestionably the most arduous of tasks. Two or three stopovers along the way lend brief moments of respite.

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