Lighting Karthigai Dheepam with Palm-Leaf Kozhukattai

Kaarthigai Deepam [கார்த்திகை தீபம்] (celebrated December 08 in 2011),  is a festival of lights, celebrated in the Tamil month of Kaarthigai (Nov 17 - Dec 16 this year). It is celebrated on the full moon day of the Kaarthigai month.  In southern Tamil Nadu, it is a traditional practice that people make delicious 'panai olai kozhukattai' [பனை ஓலை கொழுக்கட்டை] made out of rice flour mixed with palm jaggery.  It is not only sweet, also sugar free, since the palm jaggery doesn't stay in the body.  This food is highly nutritious, which contains minerals and vitamins.  The speciality of this kozhukattai is that it is prepared covered by palm leaves and boiled in a pot; so it is eco-friendly.  Even today I could feel the taste of the kozhukattai with sweet smelling palm leaves.  It is culture-related.

We are to celebrate the festival in another few days, but I wonder if anyone will prepare this delicious panai-olai kozhukattai.  Even if so, they can be numbered.  Even if somebody wants to make this kozhukattai, where will they go for palm leaves?  No leaves?  Few years back, in southern districts, the community of palmyra tree toddy tappers used to make panai olai kozhukattai.  Also, it was easy for people from other communities to get palm leaves and palm jaggery to cook kozhukattai.  The toddy tappers would happily supply the palm leaves free of cost for brotherhood.  The situation has entirely changed now.  Very rarely the leaves are available in the market during this season.

People are not aware of the medicinal values of palm jaggery.  Its not just food.  Hence this practice, which was inseparable in our culture and heritage is slowly disappearing.  I am indeed panic over the fact that palm forests are destroyed.  Recently, I was discussing this issue with a celebrity, who also had similar painful experience of witnessing the deforestation of 45 acres of palmyrah forest, some years back in his birthplace, Sundaranachiyarpuram [சுந்தரநாச்சியார்புரம்].  Catholic priests those days felt that palmyrah toddy tappers are ruining their life and health by consuming palm toddy, which they considered as alcohol.  They thought they'll redeem the people from the practice by destroying the palmyra forest.  At least 8500 trees were cut.  Each tree takes minimum of 12 years to grow and yield.  They did not realize that it is not destruction of palmyra forest, but survival of a community, healthy environment, healthy food, medicine, and culture & heritage.  At the same time, the celebrity agreed with me that to change the practice of taking toddy, the palmyrah trees need not have been removed from Sundaranachiarpuram.  Our ancestors have taken pure toddy which is good for health.  If toddy is taken continuously for 40 days, it is good for eye sight.

Sweet idli, aappam, Toddy was used to make the mix sour.  Now yeast has replaced.  

During every season, we get some edible things from palm tree:

- From March to August, we get 'neera', contains lauric acid, which is found in breast milk.  So, its a natural health drink even for children.

- Palm jaggery and palm candy made out of boiled neera are good for cold, cough, asthma, cancer, and diabetes.

- Palm jaggery is preserved in another liquid form called 'vaarpu karupatti' in pots which they use for making sweets.  Whereas, palm jaggery is mostly used for making coffee.  This black coffee without milk can be consumed hot or cold anytime.

- Ice apple (nungu) is a cure for all diseases caused by heat in the tropical region like small pox.

- Palm fruit is not only tasty, but highly nutritious.

panankizhangu

- In the next season, i.e., from December to February, we get calcium and fiber-rich 'panai kizhangu', which is good for digestion.

In the life of Tamils, during all auspicious days, palm tree plays an inevitable role.  For marriage, palm fruits are used for decoration symbolizing the fullness of life.  A newborn Baby is given jaggery mixed with water as blessings from elders.

During Pongal festival, which is meant for Tamils, parents would present women colorful 'Seer Petti', a box made out of palm leaves filled with rice, sugar, coconut and other grocery essentials.  Now the colorful palm leaf boxes are replaced with harmful plastic buckets in this modern world.

It is high time to think about the emerging danger of losing palmyra trees, culture & heritage, survival and livelihood of palmyra tree toddy tapping community, which depends on palmyra trees for centuries.  When we welcome the modernity, let us take a pledge during this Karthigai Deepam, to go for reforestation of palmyra, our 'State Tree'.  Otherwise, we could witness the extinction of palmyrah trees which already happened in our neighbourhood state, Kerala.  As I conclude, let me remind volunteers of our Blaze Trust to join during Christmas holidays with us to spend with palmyra community, particularly with children.  Wish you a Happy Karthigai Dheepam.