Certificate Course in Coconut Tree Climbing

Powered by sheer self-confidence, a woman has embarked upon the unusual task of plucking coconuts from the trees, a task, so far a male bastion.

Sharmila, 37, can swiftly pluck nuts by climbing steep coconut trees of any height, providing much needed relief to people, as the youth are increasingly distancing themselves from the traditional job.

Kerala, the land of keras - coconuts, is facing an acute shortage of skilled labourers to pluck the nuts.

A resident of Pallikkara panchayat in Kasaragod district, Sharmila works as a part-time government servant and utilises her spare time to pluck coconuts, using a manually operated gadget. She climbs up around 10 to 15 coconut trees a day, charging Rs 10 per a tree.

“When I took up the job, my neighbours and people nearby stared at me in disbelief and awe, wondering whether a woman should take up the highly risky job. But today I am a sought after person as I promptly oblige calls to pluck coconuts,” says Sharmila.

“My decision to take up the rare but unfamiliar job for a woman came after my husband’s desperate plea to some casual workers to pluck coconuts from our newly purchased land on the eve of our house warming ceremony went unheard,” she says.

The first opportunity to try the machine came after Sharmila managed to slowly climb smaller coconut trees, using the gadget bought by her father five months back.

Sharmila’s daughter Dincy is now trying her hands on the machine and her only complaint is that her friends refuse to acknowledge her newly acquired skills.