The scene at Sassoon Dock, early in the morning, is noisy, confused and filled with hustle and bustle. Hundreds of boats line the shore and fish is being tossed off the trawlers by the basketful. It is then weighed, cleaned and stuck into crates of powdered ice. A lot of makool or black squid, coated in inky black film, comes off these ships.
After unloading, the fishermen wash up their boats, bathe, eat a meal, stock up on diesel, water and ice. By 1 pm, they sail out again.
The dock is deserted by afternoon and remains that way till the next dawn. Says another dockworker, "If these people came here by night, no one would have known. Nobody is here in the afternoons and in the evenings. And that day, everyone was inside watching a cricket match."
The port security officials confirm that apart from a few dockworkers, who sleep on the dock, and the crew of boats that have decided not to sail out, there is little activity at this enormous dock after nightfall. The fisherfolk, unlike those at Machimar Nagar, live a few kilometrEs away from the docks, at Sunder Nagar adjoining Colaba Market.
Image: Fish being unloaded at Sassoon Dock
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