It was a warm sunny morning, when we got ready to go fishing with my grandpa at one of the rivers in Goa. I was about 9 years old.

Rods and bait at hand we accompanied him across the fields of Guirim .

I attached the bait of a fresh shrimp to my hook and cast the line into the river .

Then I felt a tug, and was quite happy. Slowly I pulled the line up with my rod and ‘voila!’ The bait had gone and ‘no fish’ .

Again I followed the routine of attaching bait and casting for another fish, with the same result .

By this time my grandpa had caught a couple of fish .

I asked him, “How is it you are able to catch them so easily ?”

“ Vincent, you need to be quick to pull out your rod when you get a sufficient tug and hook the fish up to pull out .”

That was easier said than done .

After some more tries. I caught, first an eel and then a crab .

That was very frustrating. My brother in the meanwhile lost his patience and began hitting the surface of water .

“ Stop it,” softly and sternly cautioned my grandpa ,” You will frighten the fish away .

Subsequently we moved sufficient spaces away along the river to continue fishing .

I was finally rewarded with a catch of a 3” fish called ‘thope’.

Our neighbour, Karidhar, with ease, kept on catching one fish after another from the same river. What a man ! I wondered.

Today I am a keen aquarist. With observation and interest, I have followed their breeding habits and even helped to rear them and increase their numbers. At different times, I have had Siamese fighters, angel fish, blue gouramis, neon tetras, guppies, discus fish, widow tetras and black mollies.

Have you heard of the Master calling out to Simon, and James and John to follow him. He told them ‘Follow me and I will make you fishers of men.’ ( Mark 1:14-20)

They left their nets to follow Jesus .

They were content catching fish, but Jesus called them to change lives of others.

So they subsequently learnt to share the Good News of Jesus : ‘ God loves you.’

What is your response?

Photographs by Vincent