Kerala Fishermen be Given Nobel for 'Selfless Service' During Floods, Tharoor in Letter to Prize Committee

New Delhi: Shashi Tharoor, Member of Parliament from Thiruvananthapuram, has written to the Nobel Committee, requesting them to nominate the Kerala fishermen for this year's Peace Prize in recognition of their courageous service and sacrifice during the Kerala floods.

In a letter to Ms Beritt Reiss Anderson, the chair of the Norwegian Nobel Committee, Tharoor writes that the fishermen of Kerala should be nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize for their 'selfless, life-saving service during the devastating floods' in Kerala in August, 2018.

"It was during the height of this tragedy that the fishermen groups of Kerala, at great personal risk to their lives and potential damage to the boats that are the source of their livelihood, jumped into the fray to save their fellow citizens. They took their boats inland, and with their expert knowledge of the local conditions, their participation in the ongoing relief operations proved to be a game changer...."

He wrote, "The commitment and service of these brave men and women stand even more remarkable in the face of trials they face in their daily lives".

In the letter, Tharoor, writing about the economic conditions of fishermen in the country, pointed out that most of them live below the poverty line. "Even as their houses fell victim to the deluge, their thoughts and concerns were largely directed to the safety of strangers," he wrote.

Tharoor also wrote that the "lasting image of a fisherman bending low in the water so as to allow an elder person he had rescued to climb on his back and get on to his boat" is a striking reflection of the spirit.

The image that Tharoor mentioned is of a fisherman named Jaisal from Malappuram who had, during the floods, helped an elderly woman enter a rescue boat, by lying down in the water. Jaisal’s picture had gone viral on the Internet.

"They represent an outstanding and wholly deserving candidacy, one that would be worthy addition to the champions of humanity that the award has recognised over the years," Tharoor wrote.