Life
Bangalore
Chennai
Coimbatore
Delhi
Hyderabad
Kochi
Madurai
Thiruvananthapuram
`Akkani' to beat the thirst
The taste for "Akkani'' is an acquired one, and no one seems to be complaining.
THE DAY starts very early for Chandran, one among several "Akkani'' vendors from Tamil Nadu, who have found the summer-scorched city an ideal place to hawk their ware.
Chandran sets out from his home in rustic Valliyoor in the neighbouring State before the crack of dawn. His ware includes a few bunches of the palmyrah nut, "nongu'', 10 litres of "pathaneer'' or "Akkani'' in an aluminium pot and palmyra leaves.
Along with other "Akkani'' vendors, Chandran hitches a ride to Vizhinjam in a van and by 7 a.m., he is at the junction. After a quick and meagre breakfast at the local tea-stall, he is off to the city with his ware loaded on the back of a hired bicycle.
It is 9 a.m. and Chandran has set up shop under the shade of a young rain tree on the Chakkai-Injackal bypass. The first order of the day comes from a motorcyclist. The hawker pulls a light green palmyrah leaf from the bunch he has stacked on the carrier of his bicycle. The end of the ribbed and fan-shaped palmyrah leaf is looped and in Chandran's hands, the leaf is effortlessly folded into a boat-shaped holder.
He lops off a "Nongu'' from the bunch and scoops out its succulent meat onto the leaf using a sharp curved knife. With a small steel glass, he pours out some "Akkani'' into the meat and hands the leaf to the biker. The price is Rs. 5.
Soon business picks up. Families in cars, cyclists, labourers working on the bypass road and the occasional foreign tourist stop by. By 3.30 p.m., Chandran has exhausted his day's stock.
He has pocketed more than Rs. 600 and is anxious to rush back to Vizhinjam where other vendors will be waiting for him. They have to reach Valliyoor before dark. It is important to catch some rest before embarking on the same long haul the next day.
``Akkani'', or the sap of palmyrah trees, is a recent event in the city. Many relish its sweet taste, but it is by and large an acquired one. The "Pathaneer'' is often laced with lime to stave off fermentation and the lime gives the drink a forbidding taste. However, some are of the opinion that it is not the real "Akkani'' that these vendors hawk. "It is the raw sap of the palmyrah tree. Akkani is made from the sap through a process of heating and filtering. It is always served alone and not with "Nongu'', avers a resident.
By G. Anand
Photo: S. Gopakumar
Send this article to Friends by
E-Mail
Life
Bangalore
Chennai
Coimbatore
Delhi
Hyderabad
Kochi
Madurai
Thiruvananthapuram
|
