COCONUTS Dear friends,
This posting is about somenostalgic memories and information about coconuts, coconut trees and relatedmatters. Hope this will be interesting. Gopalakrishnan 15-4-2023 1. Planting coconut tree In the primary class Istudied the following lines:- SAMPATHUKALATTHU THAI PATTHUVECHHAL APATTHU KALATHU KA PATTHUTHINNAM. When one is wealthy if heplants ten coconut saplings, during his suffering days, he will get tencoconuts which will help him to meet both ends meet. The meaning is what istold by the teacher and not the literal word to word meaning. That was the importance ofcoconut. Probably the fruit of a tree grown at tallest height would have beencoconut. Some palms grow more than the height of coconut trees. Somehow coconuttrees are not having that much importance now. 2. Preparing coconut saplings and planting. Coconuts from well growingtrees after fully ripen are brought down slowly after the bunch tied to rope.In a sandy area they are 3/4th buried till the leaves appear andwell grown. At this stage they are planted taking pits of size 3’x3’x2’depth.However, in homes nowadays it is planted just taking a pit of one foot depth. Asufficient gap is to be provided betweenplants so that well grown leaves from one plant do not touch another plant’sleaves in a later period. 3. Yield Coconut trees may yieldfruits in 5 years. But some varieties take more than 10-15 years. I planted twotrees in my compound in 2006. But they started yielding after 16 years. Now after research newvarieties of coconut are prepared which may not grow high, but leaves will beof normal type occupying vast area. Plucking coconut is not a big problem. There is a variety ofcoconut trees having fruits in lightly in golden color which can be used whiletender for tender coconut water. The flush inside is least tasty. 4. Tender coconut and coconut price. In Chennai a normal tendercoconut is priced above 50-00 rupees now. However even large size coconuts arebelow 30-00 rupees only. Depending on availability and scarcity coconut pricesmay change from 20-00 rupees to 60-00 rupees. 5. Coconut plants in other states. Kerala was famous for coconuttrees earlier, now coconut trees are grown in Tamil Nadu and Karnataka also. Infact, compared to Tamil Nādu coconut grownin Kerala is lesser now. Most coir companies in Kerala get their base requirementsfrom Karnataka and Tamil Nadu also. However, coir companies are mostly in theAlleppy district of Kerala. 6. Pollachi and Eathamozhi. These two places in Tamil Naduare famous for their generous size coconuts with least thickness for outer skin.Eathamozhi coconut is larger in size than Pollachi. 7. Use of coconuts. Earlier wider use of coconutwas limited to Kerala. Now throughout India, coconuts and coconut oils is used,slightly lesser in Northern states. 8 Hand operated simple tool to remove outer skin. Just placing the bottom ofmachine on ground and pressing with leg the bottom plate andpiercing skin on top of the tool having a split sharp end and operating a handle, skin is fully and easilyremoved by two or three operations. In Thanjavur side they use the powrahplaced on side to remove skin. In Kerala, a flat crowbar is used. 9. Electrical machine. I have seen in a WhatsApp posting in Malappuram area, locally electrically operatedmachine is developed, just coconuts are to be placed on a top container. One byone coconuts will come out after removing 98% of skin . If the top Kudummi (fibroushusk) is required, a button is pressed, coconuts will come with kudummi at thetop of the coconuts. Thousands of coconuts can be peeled in this manner. Now it may be available inother areas also in Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Karnataka. The skin removed in thismanner is best suited for making coir products. 10. Coconut bazar In Chennai at Puruzhawakkam,there is a coconut bazar- rows of shops selling coconuts only. Mostly vegetableshops sell coconuts. There are shops selling coconuts only in many other areas in Chennai. 11. Pazhavangadi in Thiruvananthapuram. Before two decades it was ascene of merchants sitting in rows andselling half ripe coconuts. In Malayalam it is called Vedalai. Smashing vedalaibefore Ganesh in Pazhavangadi temple is an offering. Hundreds of vedalai aresmashed by a person. Now somehow, vedalai is sold in a few shops near thetemple clearing footpath for walking. It may be strange to know-Pazhavangadi Ganesh temple is owned and operated by the military people. 12. Tamil Nadu Genesha temples In Tamil Nadu medium growncoconut sold is rare, fully grown coconut is offered. 13. Tender coconut and Lord Siva. On prodosham day tendercoconut water pouring on Siva lingam is an offering in Kerala. Women performpradosham fast and make this offering. 14 Sabarimala On pilgrimage toSabarimalai, ghee is filled in a well grown husk removed coconut and carriedinside irumuti, and abishekam is performed on the deity. Before reaching thesanctum, 18 steps are climbed, and coconut is smashed in a granite stone.Earlier the practice was smashing coconut on the steps. 15. Muttarukkal and Kadampuzha. Kadampuzha in Malappuramdistrict of Kerala is famous for Muttarukkal. Before the Devi deity coconut is brokenstriking on a wider granite stone. It is believed if the coconut is broken intotwo halves and there is no decay, the problem told by the person will besolved. Daily hundreds of persons visit the temple and perform Muttarukkal.There are other temples also in Kerala where muttarukkal is performed. 15 Coconut oil mills. There are more coconut oilmills in Tamil Nādu than in Kerala now. In Mumbai there is also a coconut oilmill from where comes the Parachute coconut oil. 16 Coconut oil and soap production. Coconut oil is used intoilet soap production. Virgin coconut oil is used in sandal wood soapproduction. 17. Coconut milk. On those days coconut milkwas prepared on the day grating flush and grinding and squeezing milk by hand .Now coconut milk is available in packs added with preservatives. Coconut milkis used in preparing Payasam dish. It is also used in preparing a dish called Olan. 18. Use of coconut oil Coconut oil is used forfrying things, to apply on the body and on hair. Scented one is used by somefor applying on hair. Some medications use coconut oil. Preparations in coconutoil have special taste and smell. 19. Neeranjanam It is an offering in manytemples. After breaking coconut into two halves, lamps are lighted inside them.A piece of cloth in which small quantity of gingelly is placed and tied. It isdipped in gingelly oil. The end is lighted. 20 Coconut grating machine. Once rare, now coconutgrating machine operated on electrical power is available in all vessel shopsnow. 21 Eating coconuts. Half grown coconut’s fleshis delicious to eat after cutting to pieces and dipping in jaggery. 22. Religious use. Coconut is used in mostreligious functions. Kalasam is complete only after placing a coconut with huskon the top. In temples for performing archana coconut is a must. For giving aGodanam, if cow is not affordable a coconut with a good amount of money aboveRs 500-00 is given. For Ganapathi Homam, sliced pieces from dried coconut isused. Most keep a coconut for thamboolam. A posting about coconuts mighthave many more points to be told. -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Thatha_Patty" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to [email protected]. 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