Every year on Good Friday, members of St Joseph Church in Josegiri carry the cross and trek 2 km to the top of Thirunetti Kallu -- 3,000 ft above sea level. It is one of the steepest ‘Way of the Cross’ walks in the state. The trail is dotted by 14 paintings, depicting the events from the Passion of Christ. It’s not just the cross that devotees of Josegiri carry, but also food.
“The ‘Way of the Cross’ walk is the last ritual of Good Friday. Once atop the hill, we picnic and disperse,” says John Koovapparayil, the young vicar of the church.
For years, Thirunetti Kallu was climbed only by the area’s residents on Good Friday. Today, it is one of the popular trekking and camping sites in Kannur. Visitors have to trek only the last kilometre as vehicles can reach up to the 11th Station of Cross, where the painting of Jesus Christ nailed to the cross is erected.
Further up, Anthony ‘chettan’ runs a ‘thattukada’, dishing out anything from kappa and meen curry to pork and beef fry, chicken curry and porotta and chapathi in a jiffy. “You have to inform me a day in advance,” he says. He also has four tents pitched on a cliff facing the green and grey mountains for tourists to camp.
Those who choose to stay back will be subjected to his rustic hospitality and nightlong gasconade, from him breaking bread with bandit Veerappan to him scaring away wild elephants through a stare. “Most wild elephants can be forced to retreat by just staring. I have done it many times,” he says.
One can escape the hot air by climbing the Thirunetti Kallu, just 200m up. Giant boulders jut into the moon-lit misty sky. It starts getting nippier. On top of the biggest boulder is a big white metal cross of the church. With a 360-degree view, Thirunetti Kallu puts Josegiri in context. The village is nested in the northeastern corner of Kannur district and is sandwiched between Alakode and Cherupuzha. On the eastern side, are the rolling mountains of Kodagu. On the west, one can see shimmering lights from houses perched on the hills. “These are houses of people who relocated to Josegiri from Central Travancore,” says Anthony.
‘Agriculture has collapsed ... people are leaving’
The serenity of Josegiri beautifully cloaks the simmering anger of people. Josegiri is not a tourism-based economy, at least not yet. On average, the 1,200-odd families here own between 1 acre and 15 acres of farmland and agriculture is their major source of income.
“However, farming collapsed 14 years ago,” says Rajesh Orappuzhikkal, a second-generation farmer, while plucking mangoes at his house. The weekend trekkers and day-travellers see faraway mountains but miss the topless arecanut and coconut trees puncturing the skyline.
With agriculture collapsing, many are leaving Josegiri. “At least 250 families have migrated from Josegiri in the past one decade,” said Rajesh. Many young men staying back have taken up jobs as drivers, masons and painters.
Glorious run ended soon
Farmers of Josegiri had a glorious run till 2012. “We were the biggest exporters of vanilla in Kerala. There were seasons when we exported 60 quintals of green vanilla beans,” says Kuriachan, who was the president of Vanilla Growers’ Association in Josegiri. Those days, farmers used to get Rs 4,200 per kg of vanilla.
“Vanilla came to Josegiri in 2004 and soon, almost all farmers grew an orchid. Josegiri suddenly became wealthy,” he said.Rajesh’s parents Joseph Orappuzhikkal and Rosamma became the toast of the village because of their abundant harvest of vanilla every season. They also had other fruit crops, pepper, upland paddy, coconut, arecanut, plantains and bananas and cardamom and nutmegs. The seedlings of coconut and arecanuts from Josegiri were much sought-after in Kasaragod and Kannur. So were the young men. Rich families from elsewhere preferred to marry their daughters to young men of Josegiri. As the village grew wealthier, the residents decided to build a church.
For the early settlers – who had a tough start clearing forest land for farming, protecting farms from wild animals and making roads – a school was their priority. They invested their meagre income to start the St Joseph UP School in 1976. “The church was built only 24 years later in 2000 when the farmers became rich. Today, they will not be able to build such a big church,” said John, the vicar.
In 2012, a yellow disease hit Josegiri and destroyed almost the entire arecanut and coconut trees as well as vanilla. The village never recovered after this. Though scientists from CPCRI and Kerala Agricultural University visited the place, scientists could not find a solution to the diseases that killed thousands of coconut and areacanut trees. “We were left to fend for ourselves,” says Rajesh. It is unacceptable that people were forced to migrate because crops failed, says Kuriachan.
Many farmers tried dairy farming but the high cost of cattle feed has made it non-viable, says Rajesh.
In Palakkayam Thattu, another hill station 20km away, the Tourism Department built an adventure park, giving employment to residents. Beji Thomas, who lost 1,000 acrecanut trees to the yellow disease, has a tree house and a homestay on the way to hill resort for tourists. Many resorts are also coming up there. Josegiri is yet to pick up though.
No bride or loan
Banks have blacklisted Josegiri, says Rajesh. “They have stopped giving loans to individual farmers. For families of young women, Josegiri became an anathema. Suddenly Josegiri has become too remote for other families to send their daughters. The village has at least 40 to 50 young men past marriageable age,” he says.
John, the vicar, says only two persons got married in the parish in 2017 and 2018. “In 2020-21, there were nine weddings which is a positive sign,” he says. “Still, we have around 30 bachelors aged between 30 and 40,” he says.
After the day’s work as masons and quarry workers, the men get together every evening at the St Joseph UP School ground to play football. The youth are hopeful about a revival of fortune from nature and farm tourism.
“However, for that, agriculture should pick up again. And we will need support,” says a young unmarried man, who preferred not to be named.