Dhamlej, December 3, 2013: It takes a fishing village to save a fish.

“Vhali Vhali… whale shark! Humari pyari… whale shark!”
“Galli galli mein naara hai, whale shark bachana hai.”

These chants resonated through the narrow pathways of Dhamlej, as 500 youth holding up flags and wearing bright blue and grey ‘Save Vhali’ badges, rallied through the village celebrating the Whale Shark Day, on December 2, 2013. Fishermen peeped out from the boats they were snoozing in, and curious toddlers ran behind the rally as it passed their homes.

Families peep out of their houses as the children rally through the village
Photo by Aditi Rajagopal/WTI

The rally entered the large grounds by the ocean, wowed by the large life-size whale shark inflatable that welcomed them. Many of the young ones thronged towards it, sizing themselves against the inflated fin, as they were ushered towards the stage to be seated.

A boy compares his dog to the lifesize whale shark inflatable
Photo by Aditi Rajagopal/WTI

Celebrated annually on the day of Kartik Amas, a popular festival in Gujarat, the Whale Shark Day this year was a culmination to two days of whale shark-themed activities in the village.

Friday and Saturday saw children of eight schools – from elementary to higher secondary school – in the village participate in various competitions – including elocution, games like puzzle-solving and snakes and ladders. Each activity was preceded by WTI’s sociologist Farukhkha talking to the children about whale sharks, showing pictures, and telling them that killing them is against the law.

 Snakes and ladders and puzzles were some of the activities conducted
Photo by IqbaalWTI

As the children marched into the school, a sand-art competition was being carried on beside the inflatable, where the participants used its shape and colour for inspiration. Groups of five and six boys and girls sat around their mounds, with spoons and spades, decorating their sand-sharks with rangoli colour and shells. Mahesh Goswami, General Manager at Tata Chemicals Limited was led through the sand art arena, where he judged one to be the best presented and most creative.

Mahesh Goswami of Tata Chemicals Limited judges a whale shark made of sand
Photo by Aditi Rajagopal/WTI

Girls with red ribbons and boys with their collection of flags were eager to talk about the fish. “We know about whale shark and our teachers tell us about it, but we have never seen it,” said one little girl. “We don’t know anyone who has eaten it, but we all know that we should not kill it,” said another. “My mother told me that Morari Bapu said that Vhali is like a daughter coming home, and we would never hurt our daughters,” said a third girl, who seemed wise beyond her years.

The chief guest, Mr Yadaiah, Chief Conservator of Forests, arrived soon after, and visited each of the four stalls exhibiting work being done on Gujarat’s coast – the Central Fisheries Department, State Fisheries Department, Gujarat Forest Department, and Wildlife Trust of India. Once he was led to the stage, a group of girls came out to sing a song about their favourite fish – Vhali. They were followed by another group that sang and urged fishermen not to kill the world’s largest fish, as the next group of five girls came out dressed on spots like the whale shark and danced to their tunes.

A fourteen-year-old boy, who had won the elocution competition a day before, took to the stage and recited an appeal to save the whale shark. Farukhkha then took the audience through the history of WTI’s internationally-recognised Whale Shark Campaign, that has pushed seven cities to adopt the fish as its mascot, and since encouraged hundreds of fishermen to release whale sharks accidently caught in their nets. He talked about the on-going research on whale sharks, telling the fishermen how crucial their role is in identifying shark as well as conserving them.

Farukhkha then took the audience through the history of WTI’s
internationally-recognised Whale Shark Campaign
Photo by Aditi Rajagopal/WTI

Over 100 fishermen and their families turned up at the event. The fishermen’s community leaders were eager to meet Deputy Conservator of Forests, Mrs Aradhana Sahu, to discuss how they could improve their role in whale shark conservation.

At the end of the event, WTI felicitated members of the Gujarat Forest Department and Tata Chemicals Limited, for their support, as well as gave out prizes to the students who had won and participated in competitions that were held in the preceding days. The Project team also congratulated those fishermen that were responsible for the first release under the Self-Documentation Scheme in the villages of Dhamlej, Sutrapada and Veraval, as well as Mohan Beem Solanki, the first fisherman to identify a whale shark pup. 

Awards being given out by CCF Mr Yadaiah
Photo by Aditi Rajagopal/WTI

As the children walked away with their flags in the air and comparing their badges, it seemed like there was still plenty of hope, that the new generation will carry on their parents’ trend – that has just been strengthened – of saving the world’s biggest fish.