KOCHI: Amidst the concrete jungles where people don't have time to even talk to neighbours, T Mohandas's house at Kakkanad witnesses a rare gathering of people across the state, in the name of jackfruit. Most of them hadn't met each other before, yet they are all bound by their love for jackfruits and the urge to break away from the monotony.
It all began a year ago when Mohandas did not know what to do with all the jackfruits in his household.
"It was getting decayed and falling off which was causing more trouble cleaning it. While we have it abundantly, there are people who yearn for the fruit and buy it from supermarkets," said Mohandas.
That was when he confided in his friend Anil Jose.
And the latter gave his word: From the next year, no jackfruit will fall off the tree in vain. Consequently, a WhatsApp group named 'Chakkakkoottam' was created and the members met in April for the first time.
"People from across the state gathered. We reap, peel, cook and share jackfruits amongst us. This is a social gathering where three types of people meet up: Those who do not get jackfruits, those who have them in plenty and want to share, and those who wish to get away from their monotonous routine and meet new people," said Anil.
While some of them had stories to share about their childhood and how they competed with siblings to pluck the jackfruits and other produce, some of them cherished the memories of joint families which sat together and prepared jackfruit dishes in the past. "This is a group of good-minded people who love to share. It is always good to be a part of such a diverse group," said Roy George from Kottayam. Apart from jackfruits, people also bring fruits from their households such as mangoes or jamuns.