Up, up and away: 3 high-fliers quit jobs to train palm climbers

They are also selling their produce in exclusive markets and temple festivals across Tamil Nadu. The group has launched The Palm Climbers, a Facebook group which is administrated by Ilavenil Soundarapandian, a former techie, along with Rasu Mayilvahavanan, an accountant, and Saminathan, a former banker. 

The trio decided to take the road less travelled after they could not cope with the demand for palm products in their monthly market stall here. 

Rasu Mayilvahanan, who hails from Tiruchendur which is known for its ‘palm jaggery’, said he had seen palm products such as sulavu (a sieve-like basket shaken to raise the chaff) disappear from his home over time and wanted to reverse the trend.

“My ancestors used to make palm jaggery and were exporting it to Ceylon. I was interested in it but could not pursue it as I had relocated to the city. Saminathan, my classmate in college, also shared similar thoughts, and he has already quit his job to take up farming. We got to know Ilavenil through Facebook and he shared our interest,” Rasu Mayilvahanan explained how they got into the trade. 

“As we could not procure palm and palm leaf products which include containers and boxes among others, Senthamizhan who organises the monthly market suggested we should start production as well. This is how our journey of self-reliant palm climbing began,” he noted. “Yes, we are training ourselves on palm climbing while we train others on making palm jaggery. 

Our aim is to make every household in Tamil Nadu capable of making its own palm jaggery,” Ilavenil said. The group also trains those interested in making palm products such as palm containers and toys which would otherwise be made of plastic. 

“We offer training so that it removes the aversion from the buyer’s mind that the product would break. When you know how to make it, you would not hesitate to buy a finished product,” he said about the approach. Palm climbing is a self-reliant economy as well and it would go a long way if we encourage it. 

Palm products would eventually become an alternative to plastic, which the government has decided to phase out, he reasoned. Ilavenil said they were pricing the products keeping in mind that the buyers should not be discouraged and people should rely on palm products. 

“Once looked down as a derogatory profession, we now proudly call ourselves palm climbers. There is no more stigma and people have begun to understand its importance. We still have a long way to reverse the invasion of plastics. Not just us, but everybody who carry palm products are ‘Palm Climbers’ as the palm would carry them forward as they carry it with them to the market,” Ilavenil added.