Trees of Kerala

I will try to give details on various trees growing in Kerala which are sort of Kerala type trees and its various applications
Marotti
It is a rarely used tree seed of which gives Marotti oil. Pictures show the tree and its seed. Apart from use as a low cost wood, this tree wood has no commercial value for use as joinery for house construction or even for interior work

Kalyana mandapam at Coimbatore

After leaving Ootty, I have simply forgotten about visiting a Kalyana mandapam at Coimbatore as suggested by Babu earlier. Babu in fact had telephoned his brother in law who runs a 20 plumber plumbing services firm at Coimbatore. He is also in charge of day to day maintenance of this Kalyana mandapam at Coimbatore. So with his help and presence I can see the Kalyana mandapam run by Rajasthanis at Coimbatore in detail. Only when Babu stopped the vehicle and when his brother in law who do not look impressive came to receive me, I remembered about the Kalyana Mandapam matter
One of my NRI clients wanted me to design and build a Kalyanana mandapam at Kottayam.I have gone with Babu and have seen the plot earlier. Seeing this Kalyana Mandapam at Coimbatore will naturally give me better ideas for the design. Pictures show the Coimbatore Kalyana mandapam

Ootty

We moved from Jackanarai to Aravenu and then proceeded towards Ootty where Gopakumar will be meeting us. On the way much more beautiful tea plantations can be seen with tender leaves of tea almost yellow in colour forming a golden colour on top of greenery of tea plants. If the tea leaves were not cut and removed continuously tea would have grown like any other tree. Now they all stand closely like small bushes with tea plucking women talking continuously and plucking tea leaves occasionally.
Ootty is slightly below the top of the hill. Surrounded by hills on all sides, it is like a valley with a small lake in the middle. This small lake is seen in almost all Malayalam films like Kilukkam where the story will have a song and the lead pairs going around that lake in a boat. I have taken picture of that lake even though it does not look great for someone coming from Kerala- the land of rivers and lakes. Apart from that Ootty has got a botanical garden (which we could not see due to lack of time) and a rose garden. Apart from dirty looking tamilians only a few Keralites were there in Rose garden as tourists. Practically no foreign tourists. Gopakumar who joined us at Ootty was making comments about all those wandering in rose garden with us. Rose flowers of different colour looked real big and somehow the flowers lacked the beauty of rose I have seen . We purchased few rose tree buds and left Ootty with Gopakumar again going back in his bike.

Meenatchi-her dream house and cut flowers for export

After talking to Meenatchi about her dreams for her future house, she invited me to see her present house so that I will know why she needs a real good house. It was one of that tiny match box like house with low ceiling height as low as 8 feet. Walls of outer side were common with neighboring house. It has a smokeless firewood cooking place, traditional Ural almost similar to Ural in Kerala houses of yesteryears. She wanted all those old traditional items and more of them to be suitably placed in her new house. She told me that I am the third Architect coming to design her house. They could not understand what she really wanted and she was almost sure that I can really meet her expectations. I told her it will be difficult to do structural work for the building with workers from Kerala. I can guide local engineer and workers with drawings, phone calls and occasional visits. She wanted at least the finishing work to be done by our people and I agreed for it.
Her requirements for the house are not that complicated. I wonder why the earlier architects could not understand her. She also shown me her cut flower arrangement displayed in her living room. They cut flower bud with almost 45 cm long tree branch of different colour lilies and bunch them and wrap them in a plastic sheet. Bottom of these tree branches are kept in water in flower vase .After every day or two a portion from bottom of the tree branch will be cut off and again it will be kept in flower vase with water in the bottom. They sent these cut flowers like this to Bangalore. From there it is exported all over the world. They get about Rs.21/- per flower bud. Fully blown flowers have no demand. Flower bud will open up only after it reaches the destination market and it will remain without getting bad for about 20 days if the procedure of keeping tree branch in flower vase with water below and occasional cutting of a small portion of the tree branch bottom is done.

Pictures show villa type building in front of plot of Meenatchi,views in front of the plot,view of the present protected farming area for flowers and beans.They provide these protective covering mainly to prevent trouble from monkeys running around everywhere

Reaching Jackanarai

We could not see any houses on both sides. Tea plantations on the sides of hills and nothing else. Suddenly we reached a place where tiny match box like houses were joined together in one cluster as if place for stay is very rare to find. This is how people stay here. Later I asked my client why you stay like this sharing your house walls with others and with low ceiling. She replied that in the earlier days entire area was jungle and to be safe against wild animals they stayed together like this and it still continues. That cluster of houses and shop is called Aravenu. From there we have to go to Jackanarai village. Again it is not like village in Kerala which is a vast area of land. This village is just another cluster of tiny houses sharing walls with others. They call this human habitation unit as village
We have located the place where my client Meenatchi was waiting and we went down on the side of hill to reach her covered planting area for beans and lily flowers of different colours. This tree planting area is where they intend to construct 4000 sft independent villa just like houses in Kerala. I could see a villa house just like houses in our place just in front of that plot. That is the only house of that type in the entire area. Probably seeing that house made my client to think of a similar bigger and better house designed by an Architect from far away Cochin

Trip to Aravenu and Ootty

On18/2, I left Cochin at 5 A.M with my usual driver Babu driving the car to Kothagiri near Ootty.Meenatchy Nanjudan had some correspondence and phone calls from Texas in USA about her dreams of building a small 4000 sft house at her native village called Jackanarai near Aravenu again near Kothagiri again near Ootty more familiar being a tourist attraction place in Tamil Nadu
When we reached Coimbatore on the way I contacted both Meenatchi and Gopakumar who worked for our marketing company and now stationed at Coimbatore. Gopakumar was going in the Mettupalayam, Coonoor, and Ootty route on official work on that day and left from Coimbatore on his bike early at 7 A.M.Thinking of having breakfast with him we went straight to Mettupalayam and met him there. Even though I told him to come with us he went straight through Coonoor to Ootty after breakfast. We planned to meet him at Ootty after work at Jackanarai
After Mettupalayam we have started climbing up hair pin turns around a hill just like on the way to our Kerala High ranges. Almost burnt leaves of trees in scorching sun at Mettupalayam had changed to green, greener as we climbed up. Hot weather changed to pleasant cold weather. Retaining walls with rubble were being made on the sides of those roads around hilly terrain unlike in our high ranges where nobody bothers about it. Roads were so good and in Coimbatore there was hardly any traffic block even in the early working hours of the day. A great change from Cochin. Lots of monkeys were moving in the road and climbing up and flying down from trees near the road as we climbed up. Nature looked real beautiful with tea gardens and other trees adding beauty on both sides. On one side when you looked down it was almost similar to our high range road side views-greenery going down to great depths with tea plants just like a green carpet over the sloping land.

Horror of political yathras

I have noticed that two tribes of people of Kerala-politicians and Christian clergy have absolutely no hesitation in demanding money from poor helpless ordinary beings working hard to earn money for a living as donation with or without any excuse. They consider that extracting money from others is their right. There are several full time politicians in Kerala who never ever do any work in their life. Still they manage to lead a wealthy affluent life. They only have to go and meet any businessman, trader or anyone who struggle hard to make money. Without any hesitation, as if it is their right, they demand money. Even the amount to be paid without any protest will be decided by the great politician. Apart from unimaginable bribes they take for anything and everything, they can simply walk into any establishment or house and demand money. If the person refuses or even try to give lower amount than what is demanded, the powerful politician will teach the hapless person a lesson or two. To a lesser extent even religious clergy also do this extraction of money citing one or other reason. If not paid, he will be treated as someone not showing enough respect to the religion and of course to God
Have you ever wondered why all political parties right from mighty lavlin famous ruling party to CPI, Congress, Muslim League and even party of unwanted Muraleedharan are all conducting political yathras from North end of Kerala to Trivandrum? Before they start the yathras the workers of the party will conduct a severe collection of funds mainly from traders and business men. Running a business in Kerala itself is a troublesome and risky affair. In addition, you have to go on paying as may be demanded by each political party worker. Otherwise they know how to put you in trouble. Political parties do not have any strict accounting. Why should they worry about it as the money is extracted from poor helpless victims without any mercy? The collectors of the fund take their share and give the balance loot to the upper levels. When each of these infamous yathras are simply an excuse to extract money for the organizers of the yathras, no wonder every political party is competing with each other to conduct these yathras.
Each party claims that yathra is for improving the life of the poor helpless unorganized majority people of the state. But so far I have never heard about any benefit any ordinary citizen has got due to the celebration of yathra right from yathra calling a looter as greatest hero of the land to so many yathra to “save and protect” helpless people of Kerala

Politics and Religion turning into Mafia style

In Kerala corruption by politicians or even by govt.officials is no more treated as a sin.It has long ceased to be a crime.Without paying bribe to govt officials or politicians,you will not be able to get anything done.Earlier bribe taking used to be done surreptitiously as it was considerd as something which will affect the reputation of the person.
Now it is considered as a creditable act of a politician or official.One notable event of recent news is that one leader of a mass based political party is named in a corrupt deal.His party which he heads consider only the framing of charges against him as an evil act by the investing agency which was forced to investigate the murkey deal due to instructions of court and monitored by the same court.A small publisher who was not willing to succumb to pressure and threatening by the mighty party was honest enough to pursue the case through court.People who cannot be purchased are becoming rare these days.These rare specimens of people with integrity and honesty are still fighting against wrong doings of church leaders and party leaders who act and talk like mafia leaders threatening any one who dares to question their actions.These mafia kings of Kerala soiciety can get away with murders,looting of public money or anything.Lone fighters are still fighting to preserve last traces of honesty and integrity in Kerala society.
Catholic Church which claim to be followers of Jesus christ has nothing but immoral,illegal acts to show as their credit worthy acts.Even bishops and cardinals are competing with each other to absolove all wrong doings of their followers as acts of innocence.Probably they are using the power for absolving sins given by Jesus Christ to them.They now seem to tell their followers especially clergy to do whatever they like to enjoy life because they will be absolved of all sins with a smile

Rich spices of Kerala

Spices of Kerala like Pepper,cardomom,Manjal,Thakkolam,Chukku,Grampoo etc are rich anti oxidants.In addition to adding flavour to food items regular use of these spices help to prevent diseases and these spices extracts are being experimented by modern science to be used as medicines for dreaded diseases ike cancer and aids.Keralites have the unique advantage of using these wonder drugs along with their regular food items.Apart from these spices coffee and tea also grow in hilly regions of Kerala and Coco which is used in the making of chocolate grows in the inner part of Kerala.

Coconut which is the major cultivation of sea shore areas of Kerala gives coconut oil which again has got sevveral medicinal values in addition to being used as a tasty cooking medium and for use as oil for hair and for body massage.Picture shows coffee trees growing in high ranges of Kerala

Pepper

Pepper is also called as Black Gold of Kerala. Even in the very old days traders from Arabia and Europe used to come to Kerala for buying this black gold of Kerala. This gives a very spicy and hot taste when added to curries .It is normally ground as powderbefore being added as a spice. In Malayalam it is called Kurumulagu.Pepper grows in tree which needs support of some other strong trees for it to climb up. Pictures shows pepper being cultivated and pepper after plucking and ready for processing