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. 

Would Rolex Awards Save My Mother?

Anyone who reads this title may get perplexed and ponder over this question WHAT ROLEX AWARDS HAS GOT TO DO WITH MY MOTHER?  I would like to confuse again with another statement:  "I have two mothers!"  People who understand the history, literature, and ancient culture of Tamil could get my point.  In our literature, it is narrated that the girls have two mothers, one is the biological mother, and another is the mother called Sevili Thaai (செவிலித் தாய்), who nurses or brings the child up.  She narrates stories, teach moral values, feed nutritious food, and guide the child all along the life path.  Now tell me about my second mother.

She gave me sweet & healthy natural drink, delicious fruits and snacks.  It was from her that I got my toys to play.  The cradle, walker, cot, bed, baskets, hat - everything she presented to me.  It is none other than the glorious palmyra palm tree, which has its roots in the history, culture, and heritage of Tamils for more than 2500 years.

Palmyra palm tree, the wonder of nature, is fondly called Karpaga Virutcham (கற்பக விருட்சம்) of the world which means the tree which gives whatever the people ask for.  The saddening fact now is that the mother is left in the lurch by her own children.

I have taken it as my commitment to save my mother, who brought me up teaching the philosophy of life.  She takes care, not just the people, but serves a sanctuary to birds, preserves biodiversity, checks soil erosion, beautifies the seacoast.  When I ventured into this task in the year 2005, only few people encouraged and motivated me.  I should be grateful to Rev. Dr. Albert Muthumalai, Principal (2004-10), Loyola College, for his venerable guidance and Dr. K.S.Antonysamy, the then Dean of Students for all his valuable inputs.  Only with their support, I was able to overcome all the hurdles in the stream of this project.  My project coordinator, Samson Durai, and students helped me with innovative ideas in the implementation process.  Nevertheless, in all these years, to be very frank, I was able to succeed only a few miles.  When I saw the announcement of Rolex Awards 2012 in the website, I got a ray of hope that my dream of saving my mother will now become true.

My students in interaction with a woman from Palmyra Tappers community

Yes, the hope has now become stronger.  I am indeed proud to inform all my well-wishers that my pre-application for the Rolex Awards for Enterprise 2012 has been picked up and I was invited to submit the full proposal, which I did.

Established in 1976 to foster a spirit of individual enterprise around the world, the Rolex Awards recognise pioneering projects that demonstrate innovation and contribute to the betterment of mankind.

Mr. G.R. Gopinath Iyengar was the first gentleman from India who had obtained Rolex Award for Associate Laureate in 1996.  I was inspired by his project to expand ecological silk-farming to improve living standard of farmers by adapting the original Japanese method only after reading it through Rolex Award.  I was able to successfully adapt and replicate his project in some parts of Tamil Nadu during the years 2004-06.

This year alone, Rolex has received more than 3500 applications.  I feel that it is a great honour for me that my pre-application has been selected for further consideration.  With overwhelming joy of being given the chance to submit a detailed proposal to the Rolex Secretariat, I am dreaming all day and night with hope that Rolex Awards would save my mother!