By the time this post shows up on my blog tomorrow I’ll be on a train with my girl pals headed for a wonderful day in a boat on idyllic the waters of the Vembanad backwaters. But that’s for another day. For today, I’ll go back into the photo archives and share pictures from a day trip to an island nearby with my apartment buddies.

What strikes you about these pictures? That is apart from the greenery, the blue waters and sky, the lone pond heron on the lawn, the kites on the leafless branch of a tree etc etc. It definitely has to be the abundance of coconut trees, right? Yes, that’s what my state has in plenty. In fact, the name of the state Kerala itself derives from the Malayalam word for coconut, ‘keram’.

The numbers of the coconut trees are dwindling according to statistics. It may not seem so to those looking down from atop a tall building, a nearby mountain peak or an airplane. But believe me, those numbers are right. Most coconut groves are now becoming residential areas. Houses stand where I once wandered with my maternal grandfather and cousins. Of course each compound still has a couple of trees, but in many instances they too are destined to be cut down sooner than later.

There is a saying in Malayalam, ‘Thengu orikkalum chathikkilla’ which means coconut trees never betray. But this is not entirely true. There are instances of coconuts falling on people and injuring them severely. What’s more, people don’t want to park their cars beneath a fruit laden tree too. Still if anyone is seen hesitating there will be someone or other who mindlessly responds with the adage, ‘Thengu orikkalum chathikkilla’.

What nonsense!

Is the coconut tree sentient? It is not as if it will say to itself, ‘Wait! There’s a human standing beneath me. I’ll drop my fruit after he has moved away.’ But try telling that to those who believe in the good intentions of a coconut tree. Umm… I guess they will hold on to their belief until the day one falls ‘PLONK!’ on their coconut. Not that I wish that to happen. Just saying. Experience changes things, you know.

The resort people, with more forethought, have nets placed beneath the ‘head’ of each coconut tree. Any stray coconut would be caught neatly in the net. They are not taking the saying at face value. Oh no siree. Good for them. Imagine one of the guests relaxing beneath the coconut trees with a chilled drink in his hand and a coconut, even a baby one, landing on his head. Not good for business, right?

The real reason why there are less accidents is probably because people are very aware of the danger involved in objects falling from above and hence are prompt in cutting away dead or yellowing leaves as also the coconuts as soon as they are ready. This is one case where the credit for the responsible response of humans is given to the tree itself!

©️ Shail Mohan 2024.