THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: If one knew the art of making a knot and clambering up trees, coconut tree climbing may provide him with some quick bucks. The city dwellers are frantically in search of anyone who can manage this feat. With just a few remaining in the city who are capable of climbing coconut trees, people from the outskirts are really enjoying their opportunity as the city’s official climbers, collecting plum remuneration packages and boundless respect from house owners.Most of the climbers in the city hail from areas like Neyyattinkara, Balaramapuram and Nedumangad. With the number of coconut plantations shrinking and revenue from coconut climbing declining drastically in their areas, these people are finding safe havens in the city, which provides them with an attractive remuneration. Suresh H, a native of Aralumoodu near Balaramapuram, is one of those climbers who have drafted his schedule in such a way that two to three working days are devoted to the city folk. “Five years ago, a family living at Aralumoodu relocated to the city. So, I was asked to pluck coconuts from their plot in the city. At first, I was unwilling to leave for the city. But persistent requests from them made me yield,” Suresh remembers. Now, Suresh is being contacted over his mobile phone by clients from Sreekariyam, Karamana, Kannammoola and Jagathy. When asked about the remuneration, a mischievous smile flashes across his face. “It takes an hour to climb 10 to 12 trees. They usually provide me with Rs 500-600,” he says. This is in stark contrast to the payment that he receives back home, where he is paid a meagre Rs 15 for a tree.K Kannan, another climber from Balaramapuram, is more than satisfied with his new workplace, where he was brought by Suresh. But they feel that their days in the profession are numbered, as coconut tress are felled in large numbers in the city owing to construction activities. Not only that, they have to face big risks while climbing as they cannot carry their ladder to the city.Babu Mahesh of Nedumangad says: ‘‘But when you consider the benefits, an hour-long risky job is more beneficial than a day-long toil in the outskirts.” However, people are still increasingly finding it difficult to find a climber in the city. Usha Ramachandran, a housewife, remembers how she had her fair share of sleepless nights when her children were much younger and there were ripe coconuts hanging precariously overhead in her compound. The children are now grown-ups and employed, but the condition still remains the same,” she says.
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