⚡ Key Highlights & Quick Takeaways
- The coconut trees of Tirunavaya have been part of V.P.
- Sasi’s life for more than six decades.
- When he began, he was paid 10 paise for climbing three trees.
The coconut trees of Tirunavaya have been part of V.P. Sasi’s life for more than six decades. At an age when most people would think of slowing down, he still looks up at a tall coconut tree, ties his climbing rope, and starts his ascent.
His palms and feet carry the marks of years spent climbing trees. His age may have crossed 70, but the enthusiasm has not left him.
Sasi was felicitated on Wednesday at a World Coconut Day function organised by Re-Echo, a cultural and environmental organisation, at Tirunavaya. The honour recognised not just his years of work, but his lifelong connection with a profession that has changed greatly over the decades.
Sasi started climbing coconut trees as a child. When he began, he was paid 10 paise for climbing three trees. Over the years, the payment changed to one coconut for each tree and later to cash. What began at ₹1 a tree eventually rose to ₹50.
But for Sasi, the work has never been just about the money.
He still climbs trees across Tirunavaya and nearby areas. Tall trees do not discourage him. Even as modern coconut climbing machines and trained workers have entered the trade, including workers from States such as West Bengal and Assam, farmers continue to call Sasi when they need their coconuts harvested.
Sasi has no complaints about the changes. He says he wants to continue the profession passed down to him by his ancestors for as long as he can climb.
There was a time when families donated a coconut tree to meet the daily expenses of mosques and madrasas. For years, Sasi would visit households on behalf of Edakkulam Juma Masjid, climb the trees, and collect the coconuts.
‘Not an easy task’
Climbing a coconut tree is no easy task. It demands strength, balance, and years of experience, with a fall potentially proving serious. The marks on Sasi’s palms and feet bear witness to the risks he has taken over the years.
Age and health problems may have slowed him, but not his spirit. For Sasi, climbing trees is more than a livelihood. It is a skill he learned as a boy, a family tradition, and a way of life.
At the World Coconut Day function, Kuttippuram panchayat member K.P. Preman honoured Sasi by draping him with a ponnada. Re-Echo president Poovathingal Rasheed presided. K.V. Unnikurupu, M.K. Satheesh Babu, Satheeshan Kalichath, Siddeek Velladath, Askar Pallar, V.P. Vijayan, V.P. Ravindran, Paruthipra Mohammed, Unni, Noushad Thekkil, Moideen Kutty, and Chirakkal Umar were among those present.
For most people, a coconut tree is part of the landscape. For Sasi, every tree is a workplace, a challenge and a reminder of a lifetime spent climbing.