Local river fishing in Assam

Assam's love for fish is legendary, and it's mighty river Brahmaputra is a wonderful source of some really good river fish like Kurhi, Rohu, Puthi, Kawai, Goroi and many many more. The river is also famous for many ornamental fish, and as I completely opposed to fish trade for ornamental purposes, I won't dwell on that much.

On the highway...

However, when it rains people across the state catch fish, not just in the main rivers, but also their numerous tributaries. As we drove out of Guwahati one early morning toward the bamboo forests, I came across this scene of young men and boys screaming, laughing and pulling each other's legs. We stopped the car and I got off to have a look at the scene, and was very intrigued to see the local men using bare hands and simple fishing nets to catch fish in a tiny river tributary. The river water was muddy because of the monsoon rains and the flow a bit strong, but cheered by the boys the men went on collecting more and more fish.

Bunch of boys and men gathered around...

Fishing with the simple nets works very well here!

The Assamese countryside and gray clouds behind them made the perfect background. I took a few pictures, but couldn't go down and talk to the fishermen as we were already late for an appointment in a far away village. But I met a local boy who told me a lot about the local fishing practices and about his own life.

#ConversationsAndStories . 'I am Azizur Rahman and I am currently in my final year of MSc. After I finish studies, I will  travel outside #Assam and explore the rest of the country.'

A photo posted by Siddhartha Joshi (@siddharthajoshi) on May 4, 2016 at 9:34am PDT

Soon, it started drizzling and I rushed back to the car and my patient driver. We drove off on the wonderful highway, leaving behind local catch.

When I came back to Guwahati later in the night, I was already craving for fish. Any guesses on what was on my dinner plate that night? ;)