Turning the tide for coastal women

For generations in the coastal village of Thiruppalaikudy, Tamil Nadu, the shoreline was a rigid boundary. “For generations, the ocean’s edge was an impassable threshold for the village women,” says 38-year-old Karthicka. Today, that boundary has been dismantled. Karthicka is no longer just a spectator of the sea; she is a maritime contributor who regularly ventures into the waves to manage her seaweed farm, often diving into the water with a confidence that was once unthinkable.