From Coconuts to Copra !

The coconut climber who climbs the coconut trees, with the aid of his climbing device to feel secure, came and dropped some coconuts yesterday. Our domestic helpers de-husked them, broke each into equal halves and spread them for sun-drying to turn them into copra. The coconut water which is a drink rich in potassium and few other minerals is stored in the refrigerator. In about a week of sun-drying, the copra would be ready for extracting oil. 

It is from the copra, coconut oil is extracted. 

Each time I notice a coconut palm with coconuts in our garden, my memory goes back to my parents, who brought coconut saplings from an agricultural farm about seventy years ago! Neighbours remember that it was my parents who introduced coconut farming in the village. There was a misconception that coconut trees flourished only on coastal areas. Since the coconut saplings grew to be trees in about three years,  and others saw the sign of their growth, they too started coconut farming. 

My parents sprouted coconuts and distributed saplings to neighbours at that time. They distributed coconut oil extracted from copra. I remember this to feel in my heart as how neighbour mindfulness was common among people of my parent's generation. We received vegetables, fruits and grains from our neighbours. It was a generation of people who gave and received because they felt connected!

One Mr Sukumaran, who owns a mini truck, still brings vegetables and fruits from his garden to remember gratefully the earlier practices of giving and receiving. Another person, Mr Mohan, a mechanic, visits us  in appreciation of the benefits he had received from my parents. 

My mother distributed ghee made at home. We had reared five cows at that time. 

Anna makes ghee from the milk we receive from our neighbour and gifts them to families.  Anna continues the earlier tradition and distributes to our neighbours-Jackfruit, Rambutan, Papaya, and Banana.  

One of the joys of living in a village of few hundreds is that we feel normally connected and collaborative!

When our neighbours use our driveway to go to the stream, I have noticed that some people stop to talk about yesteryears. 

Between then and now so much has happened and changed!

Anna and I live here with no relatives around us. We feel that we are among people who live relationally and with grateful recollections of the past. Some senior citizens of our age stay healthy and relational which bring much encouragement to us each day!

M.C.Mathew(text and photo)