While most city aficionadoz puff and pant after a bout of calisthenics and vigorous outdoor sport there are a handful of others who prefer to escape the racket of the city for the seclusion and privacy of the lake,stream or river to pursue one of the oldest and most tranquil of sports-ANGLING.
       Situated miles away from the congestion of Bombay lies the Maharashtra State Angling Association (MSAA) at Powai. Here against a picturesque backdrop of the hills and the Powai gardens approximately 300 individuals seek the solitude & the quiet that only nature can provide - a rarity in this industialised era.
       Peace and quiet. B.J.H.Crasto (45), managing director of E.Mercks, a well known pharmaceutical company base in Bombay has been a member of the association for 15 years. My tight work schedule at the office during the week leaves me no time or inclination to pursue my interests. But I look forward to getting away from the bustle of the city on the weekend and seek the peace and quiet that only nature can provide", says Crasto.
       Clad in casual jeans, T-shirt and a hat to keep of the sun and, armed with a rod, reel, line & bait, Crasto usually escapes from the city on Friday night and returns on Sunday night. "Powai is an ideal spot for fishing, where friends can meet over chilled beer and snacks with the hill and the Powai garden providing an agreeable environment. I can forget the complications of a hectic week of business activity, I can be myself," says Crasto.
       Though Crasto possesses a fine fishing rod made of fibreglass which costs approximately Rs. 300 and is capable of landing fish weighing 30 kg., he unabashedly admits that in, all his 15 years as an angler, he has not once had a catch the size of which he could boast of. "One requires a tremendous amount of patience in this sport. There are times when I merely sit In the sun with my rod and reel without catching a single fish," says Crasto who explains that this fact accounts for the limited membership since most individuals tend to "get bored".
       But fishing can be as exciting as any other outdoor sport. "Nothing is as thrilling its one of those tense moments when the float stirs slightly or jerks sharply which is the signal for the anger to act," says Crasto. "This is not as easy as it seems, there are times when the fish merely nibbles at the bait and can lead one a merry ride, boat and all, round the lake sometimes for as long as two hours at a stretch without being hooked and that adds to the suspense of this sport", explains Crasto.
       The Maharashtra State Anglers Association was founded in 1935, before Independence. Fishing at that time was a prestigious sport and the club's membership was restricted to it privileged few- Europeans and armed service officers. After independence, when the British returned home, the club's membership of 300 was reserved for Indians, with only a limited membership for tourists.
       On lease M. A. Latif (63), who is known as the grand old man of Powai,' is a former executive of Burmah Shell, a former ML.A. from Bombay's Mahim constituency and a Corporator of the Bombay Municipal Corporation (BMC). Latif has been a member of the association for more than 20 years and was recently re-elected president of MSAA, a post he has held for 14 years. Latif explains that MSAA holds fishing rights on Powai lake and the Bombay Municipal Corporation issues a lease to be renewed every 15 years. "Since the water at Powai is not used for drinking purposes, fishing in these waters is permitted by the BMC for members of the association only, not with nets. but with rod and reel alone," says Latif.
       There are four kinds of members in MSAA. Patron members pay Rs. 3,000 while life members also pay a fixed amount of Rs. 3,000, honorary members who have donated money to MSAA in the past are entitled to fish in the lake and use all the facilities but have no right to vote at the associaition's elections. Ordinary members pay an annual subscription of Rs.750 first and a renewal fee of Rs.50 if they are re-elected. Visiting or temporary members such as tourists, whose membership extends to three months, pay a nominal amount of Rs.200, according to Latif.
       MSAA possesses approximately 80 houseboats, on which members with their families and friends can spend the weekend, and 30 ordinary fishing boats. "The club also provides rods, reels, bait -worms and other fish food to members who do not have their own equipment," says Latif.
       At Powai lake, there are six types of fish which are used for sport- Catla (known as 'tiger of the lake'), mirgil, rohas, tilobia, gurami and kalabose. "Vermin and eel and olive carp which are also frequently caught are not game fish but are delicious to eat says Latif, according to whom the fish at the lake have a peculiar characteristic.
       Choosy quarry. The fish here do not swallow the bait as most fish do-something that makes it easier to hook them. "Instead, they suck the bait attached to the hook which lies eight to ten feet below the surface of the water, leave it for a while and come back to it. Moreover, the fish too are very particular about their food and prefer wheat flout or bread crumbs," Latif explains.
       According to Latif, the government fisheries department undertakes the job of breeding or spawning fish, a process that entails first netting the fish, chopping off their heads, removing a gland and extracting serum which is injected into the female fish kept in an enclosed space. "It's amazing to see, the female fish spawn eggs within a couple of hours and in just another hour, thousands of baby fish are produced in the nursery," says Latif.
       However, there are several places besides Powai lake where one can fish, says Firoze Kachwala (36), director of Safe Glass Corporation, who has been a member of MSAA for 15 years. "The waters of the smaller rivers such as those at Ulhas, Karjat & Mahableshwar are some of the places other than Powai where I have fished. Fishing in deep moving waters is a different experience from still or shallow water fishing also exciting in many ways because one has to go fairly deep into the occasionally rough water." Poaching at a private lake such as Powai is not uncommon and quite unavoidable, according to Kachwala.
       As director of a well known glass making enterprise, Kachwala has a busy and active week's working schedule which "leaves me agitated and irritable with time to do little else. So on Saturday evening my family and I drive down to Powai and spend the night on one of the houseboats. Sunday is a leisurely and peaceful day at the lake, where I fish all day," says Kachwalla. "I basically need a peace of mind during the weekend and there is nothing like fishing to get it," he says.