Village in a Coconut Shell – Burning Coconuts, Belonging and the Lines that Divide.

A playful cultural practice that brings the community together every year!

This happened on 17 July 2024.

Marking the beginning of Aadi – fourth month in the Tamil calendar, my project village Malaiyadipatti was undergoing transformation. After working all day in the agricultural fields, women of this village returned home – around 6pm, only to get busy with household chores. As Aadi 1 approached, the entire village went into a cleaning frenzy starting the first Sunday of July. 

It is not just the mop and a bucket of water with half cup of Lizol that is employed rather gallons of water to literally wash the floors of the house before Aadi 1 (i.e on 17 July). Few women also had to sacrifice their evening gossips to get the job done. Enjoying my own company I was the outsider spectator to the villagers. No matter how well you build connections and how overly caring the people are, an outsider is always an outsider. Not very warming but still I enjoy this detached yet attached relationship with my primary stakeholders. It helps me have control in my project matters and more so in my personal matters.

After the cleaning process, the ritual of burning coconuts began. It is Kongu nadu special carried out by kids. Also called as ‘Vedi Thengai’ (bursting coconut), this practice is only seen in the Kongu region of Tamil Nadu, which includes Salem, Erode, Karur, Namakkal and Dharmapuri districts. Aadi month marks auspicious beginning in terms of agriculture – beginning of monsoon and of spiritually intense month for Shakthi devotees.

The ritual is not that simple though. The process begins by selecting a coconut and puncturing one of it’s eyes. Coconut water is drained. Powdered jaggery, flattened rice, sesame seeds, moong dal are added. Coconut water is now added again and the eye is closed using turmeric dough or stick. The coconut shell is then coated with turmeric paste.

Surya, a 14 year old, living next door is a religious kid with hyper energy levels. He has been instrumental in teaching me volleyball in the recent times. He was highly passionate to finish the ritual before everyone. He inserted the stick into the coconut eye with full excitement only to break the coconut into two. Devastated, he ran to get another one ready and he was quick like a lightning. His friends went to collect sticks and firewood from the farm fields.

As they were starting the fire, Surya asked me to document the entire process. For a moment, I was not an outsider or a fellow. This gave me both an opportunity and a mini-spotlight among the villagers. I was enjoying the evening as the villagers broke into conversations and laughter. There were competitive mothers in the crowd who were proud of their boys for making such a delish.

As time went by, the smell of jaggery, lentils and rice boiling in coconut water filled the air. The kids started walking around the fire. Few of them even started dancing, while few others were shy to dance in front of me. I left the place saying I have to take a call. As I entered my house, I went into the kitchen to peep through the window. The shy boys were now dancing and hooting. After 10 minutes, I heard a knock on my door. It was Surya, carrying the coconut baked in fire in his bare hands. I was deeply touched by his gesture. He urged me to taste the coconut. It was amateur, partially cooked, delicious and above all tasted like a village in a coconut shell.

After some time, I went out again to see what was happening. Kids were all dancing around the fire commenting on how well each of them have delivered the coconuts. This reminded me of what my father used to say. “Kootanchoru” –  a meal cooked by a group of people where ingredients are supplied by everyone. I remembered my father saying that it was a popular getaway activity for youngsters in the villages.

As I stood watching there – I realized it was their version of Kootanchoru: not just a festive dish but a shared moment of youth, creativity and freedom. There was a strong underlying joy in that chaos – very deep. Wild laughter of the youngsters echoed in the smoky wind under a cloudy sky. Loud devotional music was playing in the background making it all messy, raw, unfiltered – yet it gave me a strange, heartfelt grounding warmth. This was the kind of experience you don’t plan for, but you can’t stop carrying it’s memory for a long time either.