KOCHI: The coconut tree is a part of the Indian landscape. It is intrinsically interwoven with everything we do and plays an important role in numerous customs and traditions. To understand this is to understand the essence of the plant itself. The coconut tree, in all probability, is believed to have been first cultivated by people of India or Southeast Asia.
It was then introduced to other tropical countries all over the world. The tree is believed to be of great value everywhere in the tropics because it provides all the essential elements needed to sustain life. Besides food and drinks, it offers possibilities for housing, thatching, clothing, containers, oil, brooms, ornaments, and furniture to name just a few.
In Polynesia, it is referred to as the staff of life and is revered by many because every part of it provides something to people. From the water of the coconut, the fruit, the fronds, and the shells, every part of it can be used.
The value of the coconut tree being what it is, many proverbs abound in the regional languages. One talks of how you can plant one seed and get hundreds in return. Another proverb says that it is better to plant a coconut tree than to have a son. A tree would give everything back to you and provide for you always…a son of course could have other ideas.
To some, the breaking of the coconut is symbolic of breaking or surrendering the ego to the Almighty. The seemingly human head of the coconut allows it to symbolise the individual. In the breaking of the coconut, the individual is believed to surrender his innermost self to God.
Another belief is that since the coconut provides one with all that is essential for life, the action of breaking it is symbolic of surrendering everything. Again, the custom of presenting a coconut to an honoured guest is symbolic of giving them or sharing with them all that is yours.
The cutting of a coconut tree is considered almost sacrilegious, and I remember from personal experience when I was forced to cut down a tree that was viewed by the workmen as a monster of some sort. I still regret it.
But to me, with my fascination for games, the fascination with the coconut is an interesting game that is played. The coconut shells are taken, and a hole punched through the cup. A rope is then threaded through the hole and knotted inside the cup. Children grip the rope at the shell end with their toes, holding the shell upside down tight by the pressure of their feet, and then pulling the other end of the rope by hand they stilt walk on it.
Variations of this game created in plastic have found their way into many Western homes, but the beauty of the coconut and the fact that we can recycle every bit resonates with our current thinking on life. Nothing of the tree goes wasted and it becomes a part of our everyday lives, including our games. This echoes my belief that games, were never something apart from life, but a part of life, deeply interwoven with the tapestry of food, clothing, our trees, our plants, and much, much more.