To beat the Chennai heat, I usually stop by some elaneer (tender coconut water) cart by the roadside. So, that day I stopped by a elaneer cart to quench my thirst. Usually, the elaneer sellers are men. I was mildly surprised to see a lone woman, manning the cart. There was a mound of tender coconuts balanced expertly on top of the push cart.
Responding to my request for ‘water only’ nut, the lady selected a lemon green coconut from the pile. She rolled it into position with one hand while with the other, she deftly wielded the aruval (heavy iron knife). In few seconds she had shaved off the tough husk until the pale off-white skin of the tender coconut was exposed. With the same swift movement, she carved out a small hole on top of the tender coconut and handed it over to me to drink.
I asked her to give me a straw so that I can drink it without spilling the water. She smiled and said almost mockingly, “You city folks don’t know how to drink elaneer properly. I’ll teach you.” She then demonstrated how to drink by lifting an uncut coconut and made the drinking gesture.
Seeing my hesitation, she prompted me and gently guided me: “Go ahead sir, lift up your head, tilt your neck as far as it can go, and drink the elaneer as intended by nature”
As instructed, I lifted my head, tilted my neck and gently brought the tender coconut on to my mouth and let the ice cold nectar flow smoothly into my parched throat. I felt refreshed almost instantly and was pleasantly surprised, how easy it was. Of course, my T Shirt was drenched by the overflow.
As if sensing my discomfort, the lady with the Aruval said, “Sir, you can wash off the T Shirt any time. But tell me, when was the last time you lifted up your head from your cell phone or your computer”
She continued as i looked on. “Today you’ll remember as the day when you decided to hold your head high and looked up to the skies” I was stunned by the truth in this statement. Noticing my bemused look, she added: “Tell me sir, would you have got this experience if I had handed you the artificial straw? I nodded my head in acknowledgment. Drinking with a straw, my head would have been bent down and I'd be looking at my own feet and the filth on the street.
This wisdom from the elaneer lady remained in my thoughts long after that encounter. And today, when I saw my friend Swapna Nair’s post on FB, it all came back to me again. Swapna had asked in that pithy post: ‘For some it is the moon, for some it is the clouds, the stars or the sunset...tell me friends, which one do you feel connected with, which one gives you the joy ..”
The words from the street vendor resonated with this thought expressed by my friend. Caught up as it were in our daily grind and routine in the chaotic urban maze (calling it a jungle would be insulting mother nature) We are bent over our mobile phone screens or stare straight ahead at our bright laptop monitors. Even, our choice of entertainment has been tied up to the big screen. In a darkened cinema hall or in our cosy recliner chairs in the comfort of our homes.
Confined indoors most of the time, we seldom go out or look up. We do not wonder at the moon, at the skies and the clouds as the tender coconut vendor and my friend Swapna had exhorted us. In our pursuit of momentary sensory gratification, we have forgotten the simple pleasures of Nature. The sheer joy that comes when you feel “connected” with nature as she calls it.
As I was left reflecting on the vendor’s profound statement, demonstrated by the humble act of drinking elaneer, the lady must have moved on to another street. Pushing her heavy cart in the unforgiving sun. She looked content with whatever humble earnings she made from her seasonal business. A steady stream of customers - undoubtedly regaled by her witticism, keeping her busy through the day.
After the summer season, she'll perhaps go back to her village, lie down on her coir cot under the moonlit sky, watching the stars and enjoying the cool breeze rustling through the trees. Perhaps wondering what we ‘city folks’ are busy with and why we are serious all the time.
And, on that hot sunny day, she made me lift up my head, look at the vast skies above and smile.
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