Fishing in the village pond- The village life is a beautiful and lively. In all villages we may not find rivers, but one will find village ponds, which are used for agricultural activities, bathing of goats, cows etc. In some ponds which are clean, people also take bath. And these ponds you will find most of the time within the village or village surroundings and not at a faroff places. Some of these ponds dry up in summer season, as most of the time these rivers depend on rainwater and some ponds will have some water left even in summer season.
Around these ponds you will see a lot of bushes, plants, and even big trees around. after the primary school hours, i used to go around with friends spending some time walking on the river banks. In Panchali, our village, we have a river also. In rainy season river flows to the full and at times flooding around takes place. On the river banks we used to play various games including kabaddi,kho kho,football, gonne billa – we use a long stick and another small stick where both ends are made thin and in the middle it will be thick. This they do to hit the small one with big stick and after hitting we keep running from this end to the other if anyone catches then another person do the same thing like cricket and the runs are counted.
In villages most of these ponds are owned by the gram panchyat (local government) and whenver if panchayat make any announcement be it a health camp, some food distribution, or some function, collection of local taxes or any event meant for the villagers, they announce – in village the announcer holds a drum and go around the village to announce any event if takes place.
Once or twice in an year, the panchyat announces catching fish in ponds, they announce which pond and when it is going to take place and so on. Accordingly people go to that pond with all equipments including fishin nets of various types and all catchers go inside and their family members stay outside keeping water pots with them with a glass for the catchers who get tired. Also they bring some snacks. The supporters of the fishers go with drums and other music instruments and they sing songs also for passing the time. The catching of fish is not that easy as in ponds the fishes hide inside the mud and when you have water in the pond, its even difficult. People risk and put their hands inside and at times they catch snakes also. When the catch, they throws these snakes outside where people are not that side.
My elder brother Shankar is interested in fishing and people say even to catch fish one has to have good hand. My brother also has a good hand and whenever he go for fishing he brings fish. We used to have a fishing bamboo basket which looks like a v shape and all bamboo sticks pointing to the land and at the end you will see a small hole through which you will put your had and search for fish, if fish is in that particular locality, it cannot go out hence you can catch the fishes easily. Whoever goes for fishing take with them different instruments with the hope they will be able to catch more fish.
That day my brother caught number of fishes and as a small boy each time my brother catches a fish, we were clapping from outside. we could manage catch good number of fishes that day. By the evening when they stop catching, everyone will come out and you cannot recognise them as their whole body is full of mud and from there they will go to nearby boring to take bath or has to go to river to take bath. Some has luck and some may not even catch one fish. Like this they announce the fishing for various ponds at various times and we go prepared.
This is one experience of my childhood I always remember.