117. There is now no one there to climb coconut trees in Kerala. P S Remesh Chandran

117

There is now no one there to climb coconut trees in Kerala

P S Remesh Chandran

Editor, Sahyadri Books & Bloom Books, Trivandrum
 Article Title Image By Lucija Ros. Graphics: Adobe SP.

Coconut Tree Climbers declining to help yield the crop has certainly caused havoc among farmers in Kerala. Many think that, when ripe, the coconuts will fall anyway and can be picked up. And the leaves too will fall when dry. But what about cleaning the crown? Moreover the landowner cannot wait everyday at the foot of the tree for the coconut to fall so that he can pick it up before another does. It is true many coconut tree climbers suffer from calloused hands and legs and many occasionally fall and they too have a family to take care of. But considering the present rates for climbing tree and also considering the success of labour welfare activities in this field, they certainly can make a living out of this profession. Most of the old tree climbers have already passed away and the new generation turned their faces to this profession, exactly like what happened in the rice paddy fields of Kerala. All of a sudden, cultivation of this crop became unattractive and cumbersome in Kerala. The first person to react to this vital problem of Kerala and to bring this farmers’ crisis to public attention was not anyone from government or these so-called boards but the beloved genius and respected joker of Kozhikode, late Ramadasan Vaidyan who startled Kerala by announcing the opening of his ‘Coconut Tree Climbing Training College’ which he got inaugurated by Sri. Chouhan, I.A.S, who inaugurated the college by climbing the tree though this North Indian officer knew nothing about climbing a coconut tree. It was his first experience. But it was not the first joke of Ramadasan Vaidyan. He was the person who organized a great public meeting at Kozhikode to commemorate the centuries-long valuable services of the numerous Washing Stones in the beach there. What authorities ought to have done was permitting the coconut tree farmers to help make the light liquor ‘Toddy’ out of the tree liberally under official supervision which should have helped these farmers sustain themselves and the cultivation of this trees also would have survived. But how will the hard-liquor industry and mafia allow this to happen as it would straight eat away their empire?

Article Title Image By Annie Spratt. Graphics: Adobe SP.

[In response to news article ‘Coconut plucking becoming a lost art’ on 20 January 2012]