This photo essay explores the sea as a participatory body in the life of the fisherfolk residing in Zai which is a coastal village located in the Palghar district of Maharashtra. The exploration organically expands to observe how the community ties the intangible elements of their oral history to ‘maps and memories’ by studying their occupational culture, material culture and their social interaction with the environment. Mrunmayee has spent most of her childhood in Zai’s neighbouring village called Bordi, where she lived with her grandparents not more than a hundred metres from the sea. This had a huge impact on her as a child and shaped her decision to work with the fisherfolk of Zai for her undergraduate dissertation at Pandit Deendayal Petroleum University, Gandhinagar. This story is an outcome out of the said inquiry. The author would like to thank the people of Zai for their guidance, goodwill and untiring enthusiasm to answer questions.
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