Meet Krishnettan, a toddy tapper in Kasargod who has kept the art of toddy tapping alive, providing people the alcoholic beverage, ‘toddy.’ Toddy tappers like Krishnettan spend their day tapping coconuts, and later, extracting toddy for toddy shops. A usual early morning comes with preparations to climb coconut trees with a special knife called the ‘Chethu Kathi’ and a container for ‘Chethu Mannu,’ the kind of mud perfect for his job. Krishnettan collects toddy, locally called ‘Kallu’. He repeats the entire process during the evening time.
Amidst the green lands of Kasaragod lies the Podothuruthi village, is where Krishnettan is placed. He has been engaged in art of Toddy Tapping since his grandfather’s time. In Kerala toddy shops are like taverns, where local communities congregate. The iconic beverage toddy is consumed in these shops with the most delicious combinations of fried fish or meat and boiled tapioca.
Although an art involving a lot of risk, Toddy tapping is believed to be a job founded by the Hindu God Shiva and Goddess Parvati. Once Lord Shiva felt thirsty as he strolled with his wife Parvati in one of Kerala’s lovely lands. Lord Shiva noticed bees buzzing around some liquid oozing from the trunk of the coconut tree. Shiva immediately drank it and felt tipsy. Parvati rubbed the tree’s trunk and sent this sweet sap back to the top to ensure Lord Shiva stopped drinking the oozing liquid. Later, Shiva created a man from his thigh whom he trained to climb the tree to fetch the oozing sap.
The Thiyyas are descendants of the sap tappers or toddy tappers, making them a community that bonds over toddy parties and toddy tapping. Toddy tappers, also known as “Chethukarans’, usually live near coconut farms with their families. Going coconut tree-to-tree for toddy tapping is an art to excel, which requires years of practice, patience, and expertise.
Toddy, an organic and healthy alcoholic beverage, is loved by all who take a sip of this fermented sap straight from the tapper’s jug. Everyone loves to drink up a glass of toddy and enjoy the evening. Kallu, fermented coconut liquor, or even toddy is tapped from the coconut palm and best consumed when fresh off the tree. If you are someone who wishes to feel Kerala from its roots, a mandatory visit to a toddy shop is a must!