Kandal Pokkudan: Man of the Mangroves

Some journeys unexpectedly curve, turning you inward; taking you back to the womb, to the very conception of life.  

In the midst of a hectic study tour in Kannur district in North Kerala, writer K.M Venugopalan, our companion during this journey, took us to Chengal wherein resides Shri. Kallen Pokkudan, lovingly called as Kandal (mangrove) Pokkudan – the man who grew mangrove forests along the Pazhayangadi River.  

 

Exhausted as we were in the afternoon, we reached the house of Shri. Pokkudan, the tireless crusader for the restoration of the lost heritage of mangrove forests in the coastal region. What he began with a strong individual conviction in his home district, in Kannur in the 1980s, soon became a mass effort and countless mangroves have been planted in almost all parts of Kerala over the years.

Kallen Pokkudan

He was struggling with his lunch kept on the table, unable to eat, as sobs choked his throat in remembrance of his life partner, Meenakshi, who had left this world a year ago.  As he began to talk to us, he completely lost attention to the food; instead, a pile of papers, notices and maps appeared before us, and he navigated us through a sea of memories occasionally pointing out documents related to his many struggles for environment and equal rights for Dalits and Adivasis.

Mangroves are great protectors of the coastal region, rich reservoir of biodiversity and a generous provider of livelihood for millions of people. “No tsunami would dare wreak havoc if the coastal lines are protected by these natural guardians”, he explained with firm conviction. Living at the interface of land and water, they become natural barriers to coastal erosion, storms and wave surges and they are a natural habitat for a wide variety of terrestrial and marine species. Do you know how many varieties of birds nest on them and how many fishes whirl around its roots! His confidence is so rooted and his enthusiasm unstoppable.

Meenakshi (1948-2013) is laid to rest here.

 Among his papers, we stumbled on a special map of his village panchayat, Ezhome, detailing the local eco-social life system, in a holistic and nuanced manner. It contains the rivers and agricultural fields, traditional landholdings and new developments, cement boats meant for keeping water for the cattle and the spots where he has faced threats and challenges in his work.  Author of three books, Shri. Pokkudan, aged 77 years, is now attempting the fourth one, about some 22 varieties of mangroves. His earlier work ‘Choottachi’ (named after a freshwater fish) described the fish diversity in the region. Similarly, he is compiling a book on birds with their local names and characteristics. Autobiographical accounts of his work and life are available in the form of two books in Malayalam, “Ente Jeevitham" (My life, 2010) and “Kandalkadukalkidayil Ente Jeevitham" (My life in the Mangrove Forests, 2002). The intense grief that he is suffering at the loss of his partner is so visible in his eyes and body movements but his mind doesn’t rest, and he has a lot of things to do. 

 

The school building under construction.

 As we were coming out saying goodbyes, he took us to the backyard where we saw a small building under construction for the purpose of education of Dalit children. This is being erected in memory of his beloved wife…as he bade goodbye holding onto the mango tree in front of the house, looking into the river, we drove along the same riverside which has been lined with the mangroves he cultivated; songs of his chirpy birds and dancing fishes mingled with the tunes of the wind…

 

by

Sreekala Sivasankaran