Coco

She was buried with so much of love and expectations. Her Godmother who stood tall among her friends narrated stories from the day she was earthed. She told about the hardworking men who rise up before dawn to clean their backyard for collecting natural fertilizers followed by having a healthy breakfast mainly porridge or white rice with curd and small onions. She said that the village women need not go to the beauty parlour for doing pedicure or manicure or coloring their unhealthy hair as their land is blessed with fertile soil and fresh underground gifting them all with a natural skincare routine free of cost. She expressed how their abundant land is flourished with water resources in the forms of lakes, rivers and deep wells where young men learn swimming at the age of five.

The young sappling listening to all this grew up happily with good health and great enthusiasm. Little did she knew that when she turns into an adult, all what her Goddess mother narrated wouldn't exist due to the chaos created by humans.

As she grew up, she heard stories of farmers committing suicide and people moving to other land searching for work. She felt thirsty and was not provided with enough water. The land she saw was completely monochrome in color. People's skeleton was visibly seen yet few believed that by selling the parts of a coconut tree they will be able satisfy their daily needs. She liked their confidence and consuming that as the boost drink, she grew up tall and turned into an complete adult.

She couldn't stop crying everyday watching the mishaps people undergo. Not able to take it anymore, she grew taller stood up firm and decided to help her people as much as she can. She spread the message to all her friends and they remained united to bring a change to the people living in the so called place: Cauvery Delta region.

Seeing their unity from above, God Indra turned angry.

"How such unity exist", he exclaimed and came up with a greedy plan. One midnight all of the sudden without any warning, winds at the speed of 120 kmph came down to earth turning the region upside down and without any mercy he showered rains from morning to night asking "Is this enough or you need more" in a sarcastic tone.

This destruction caused heart attacks to the farmers residing at the Cauvery Delta and death to the evergreen coconut trees. Several trees were uprooted and few fell on the electric poles leading to power failure.

Not only this cyclone Gaja shattered the region but people's heart and trust. Without giving up they struggled and the Goddess mother, who was lying on the ground half dead shared a secret to the roots!

"She said that the coconut trees can be replanted and given life if their leaves and flesh are cut and bury the trunk after adding some natural fertilizers as the soil remains wet due to rains".

The roots did their job so perfectly that it spread all over and the people who heard it got into work. Using all thier energy, they gave rebirth to thier children: coconut trees!

P.S This story is based on the cyclone Gaja which affected tens of thousands of lives in the Cauvery Delta region. Overall six districts are affected and people have lost thier home and land but thier love for their coconut trees remain the same. Let's join hands to bring delta to square one.