THOOTHUKUDI: In a country as diverse as ours, the steadfast unity among communities stems from various factors. Going by findings of a recent tour through the district by activists, the unassuming but dense palmyra groves also play a part in ensuring harmony among communities.
As part of the 'palmyra trail' organised by the Palmyra Mission, the activists toured through Tiruchendur, Adaikalapuram and Kayalpattinam, which house a thick population of Hindus, Christians and Muslims respectively. The tour aimed at studying the palmyra tree's relevance to different religions. Palm tree workers welfare board members Godson Samuel and Anto Brighten, palmyra-tourism research scholar Preethi, and a few other activists were part of the tour.
With palmyra products being essential to practices in all religions, and a large number of people earning a living by selling these products, every community has come now forward like never before to preserve this tree species. "The main occupation of residents in Adaikalapuram, a Christian-majority hamlet, is climbing palmyra trees and extracting pathaneer. One can see a large number of shandies dotting either side of Adaikalapuram-Tiruchendur road. The Christians in these shandies eke out a living by selling pathaneer to large groups of devotees on their way to Tiruchendur Murugan temple," Preethi observed.
Similarly, the mainstay of Adikalapuram women is palm leaf handicrafts. They also make 'puttu', a dish made using pathaneer, and palm juice-laced eatables, which enjoy good demand among devotees visiting the Tiruchendur Murugan and Kulasekarapattinam Mutharamman temples. "In churches too, porridge is dished out in palm leaf bowls. This apart, everyone knows about the integral role palmyra products play with regard to practices of Palm Sunday and Ash Wednesday. During Christmas too, the palm sticks are in high demand to make cribs," she added.
Tiruchendur, which is the second abode of Lord Murugan, is surrounded by villages that rely mainly on palmyra-tree climbing, pathaneer tapping, karupatti, karkandu and palmyra handicrafts. M Thirupathy Venkadesh, who conducts research on the history of socio-economic and cultural conditions of palmyra workers, said the tree species play an integral part in Hindu religious practices, including the torching of 'Chokkapanai' ritual during Thiru Karthigai and Panai Olai Kolukottai during Karthigai festival. Some practices even include offering worship to palmyra trees. "Until the white sugar was introduced, the prasadam distributed at temples contained karupatti as the sweetener. Hindu puranas and Tamil literature were all initially produced on palm leaf manuscripts," he added.
Founder of Palmyra Foundation and member of Palmyra Workers Welfare Board Godson Samuel said the 'pahu' prepared by a few Hindu families of Poonthoppu adjacent to Kayalpattinam is a unique recipe exclusive to this remote habitat. "Interestingly, Muslims in the region are the predominant customers of 'pahu'. During the fasting season, Muslims consume palm jelly to break their fast. The community also uses palm leaf mats and sturdy palm plank called 'neethan palagai' for their burial ceremonies," he said.
"The palm species, which is the state tree of Tamil Nadu, brings people together beyond their religious and state identities," said Godson, who has travelled from Mumbai to Kolkata in search of trails of Palmyra groves and cultures associated with it. Palmyra groves are vastly present in Maharashtra, Telangana, Goa, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, Gujarat, Jharkhand, Orissa and West Bengal, he said.