Fishermen's messaging service saves lives, boosts income in Odisha

Changing fortunes: A new SMS service is giving fishermen in India weather updates as well as info on where to scout for fish, improving their earnings. Photo: AFP

CHAUMUHANI: A fisherman's son and now a fisherman himself, Kulamani Tarai knows all too well that while the sea has provided sustenance to his family for generations, it can also be a cruel and deadly place. 

Every morning, when he leaves his mud-and-thatch home on India's east coast to venture out on his wooden boat into the Bay of Bengal, he knows there is a chance he will not return.