IDUKKI: Decades back, people from distant lands who migrated to the Idukki high-range developed settlements in the region. They cleared the forests and cultivated both food and cash crops, most of which they introduced, to eke out a living.
Pulikathadam, a village tucked away nearly 10km from Moolamattom town, atop a hill, received migrants in the 1960s. The nearly 40 families settled in the area, however, did not have to introduce an alien crop as nature had abundantly blessed them with tamarind (garcinia cambodiga). Pulikathadam -- which means the land where tamarind grows -- is the only area in Idukki with naturally growing tamarind trees, some of which are more than 100 years old, still providing a bountiful harvest to residents.
You can hardly find a house here without an adjacent ‘pulincheru’ (drying room for tamarind), where turf fires are kept alight to dry tamarind before it is sold.
“When I arrived in Pulikathadam in 1964 and bought two acres of land, Malabar tamarind trees were in abundance. They were not cultivated, but had grown naturally and propagated over time from fallen seeds,” Raveendran T S, a farmer and early settler, told TNIE.
In the hills that are hard to reach, the nature’s gift turned a source of livelihood for farmers and residents, who began harvesting and smoke-drying them for sale to traders. Raveendran, who has 250 trees, harvests nearly 600kg of tamarind annually. “Local traders from Moolamattom arrive here and procure tamarind, which is sold outside the district and to pharmaceutical companies for preparing medicines,” he said.
Compared to other varieties, the wild tamarind of Pulikathadam has more sour content and is relatively larger in size. “For the settlers, tamarind trees are assets that can be turned to in times of crises. We store the smoke-dried tamarind in gunny bags. Whenever we face cash crunch or when prices shoot up, the stored tamarind is sold,” he said.
Unlike other crops, that decay over time, dried tamarind can be stored for years. “This year, prices went up to `180/kg, while it was between `160-170 last year,” he said.
Malabar tamarind is an evergreen tree found in the forests of the Western Ghats, said sources with the agriculture department. “The tree prospers in high altitude. The climate and terrain of Pulikathadam is well suited for its growth,” an official said There are even century-old trees which continue to bear fruit every year in Pulikathadam. Since the tree is the hallmark of the village, residents preserve them, while new trees are planted from selected saplings.
NATURAL & BOUNTIFUL
‘Pulikathadam’ is the only area in Idukki with naturally growing tamarind trees, some of which are more than 100 years old, still providing a bountiful harvest to residents. Compared to other varieties, the wild tamarind of Pulikathadam has more sour content and is relatively larger in size.