Teetotaller toddy tapper happy with state govt award

Thirty years into his backbreaking work of toddy tapping and a teetotaller to boot, T SMuraleedharan is a happy man with the state govt honouring himwith an award, instituted to foster better labour culture.

''This is a welcome step from the government.

I consider this as a recognition from the authorities formy honesty and sincerity towards my job,'' he said.

Muraleedharan was among the 15 workers from theunorganised sector who were given the 'Thozhilali Sreshta'award, which also seeks to boost relations between thelabourer and the employer.

The 58-year-old from Mananthavady, however, says that herepresents a crisis hit sector and feels it will not survivefor long.

Toddy tappers are generally traditional workers and manyhave been rendered jobless in 'God's own country' due to acombination of factors, including diseases affecting coconuttrees, restrictions on setting up toddy shops and tipplers nowpreferring Indian Made Foreign Liquor.

''I don't think this sector will survive for a long periodbecause people are not showing much interest in drinking toddydue to easy availability of IMFL'' said Muraleedharan, a fatherof two.

Moreover, the younger generation is unwilling to take upthis job as there are inherent risks, he said.

A typical two shift day for Muraleedharan sees himclimbing 10 trees and collecting around 15 litres of toddy.

He sells it to a local toddy shop for Rs 29.75 per litre.

Besides, he also gets a DA of Rs 210 per day.

The second shift of four hours is from 2.30 pm sees himpreparing the groundwork on the inflorescence of the coconuttrees for extracting toddy for the next day.

Muraleedharan says he was able to build his life fromthe earnings from the traditional job.

''Though I am in this profession, I have never got intothe habit of drinking any form of liquor.

The government may have also considered my conduct forselecting me for the award,'' said Muraleedharan, a member ofthe All India Trade Union Congress (AITUC).

Labour Minister T P Ramakrishnan distributed the honourthat carries a cash prize of Rs one lakh and a citation at afunction at Thiruvananthapuram on February 5.

K Sasi, a coconut plucker from Mambuzhakkari inKuttanadu, who has been in the job for the last 40 years, isalso one of the recipient of the The 60-year-old who climbs around 30 trees daily andearns Rs 1,500, said he was grateful to the government,particularly the labour department, for selecting him for theaward.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)