Tamil Nadu Toddy Movement, toddy tappers and thousands of farmers from various districts, including Erode, Tirunelveli gathered to stage protests from Friday, demanding the state government allow them to fetch toddy from coconut palm trees and lift the ban. Also known as palm wine, toddy is a drink made from the fermented sap of a coconut palm tree, while palmyra trees are said to be Tamil Nadu’s state tree.
According to environmentalists and farmers, TASMAC alcohol sold in the state contains 42 per cent of alcohol while only one-tenth of the alcohol content is in toddy. The issue has emerged as growing demand for political parties to make policy decisions on the use of toddy as an alternative to alcohol sold in TASMAC. Meanwhile, it was also reflected in the election manifestos of political parties.
It is said that the ‘kallu’ drink has been a part of the daily life, functions, religious ceremonies and warfare of Tamils since the Sangam literary period. The destruction that the toddy ban has wrought in Tamil Nadu for the last 34 years is multifaceted. Rural economics, siddha medicine, archaeology, malnutrition, migration, deforestation, etc., have majorly suffered due to the ban.
Toddy activists suggested that it would grab a special place as ‘hero’ in the State Assembly Elections. Palm workers, siddha practitioners, palm food enthusiasts, ecological activists and consumers continued to put forward their views in favor of toddy. Therefore, many political parties that faced the 2021 Assembly Elections in Tamil Nadu said that the anti-toddy law would be repealed as it will be the unifying point of the vote bank of livelihood, nature’s heritage business, medicine and consumer.
Not only in Tamil Nadu, the palm wine drink has also been in use in South Asia like how champagne in France, Vodka in Russia, wine, rum, whiskey and brandy are commonly consumed in European countries. Thus, each community created and used the ‘Kalipanam’ depending on their lifestyle and circumstances. Due to white supremacy and colonialism, foreign native liquors was imposed. With the decline in agriculture, the revenue available to the majority of the farmers are barely enough. In this situation, if the ban on toddy is revoked, there is a vast chance that the coconut and palm industry will grow. Job opportunities will also increase for palm-climbers, they say.
A recent survey reveals about eight crore palm trees in India, of which five crore trees are in Tamil Nadu. Apart from this, there are 4.5 crore coconut trees in the state. If these 9.5 crore trees are used to produce toddy, employment and job opportunities will greatly increase. It is said that the economic situation of Tamil Nadu will also improve. Environmentalists claim that toddy is better than foreign liquors in many ways. Foreign liquors have a high content of alcohol present in it. Yet, toddy contains less than 7 per cent of alcohol. Not only that, toddy has been used as a medicine in siddha for a long time. It contains iron, magnesium, calcium, and other vitamins and a minimal sugar content. Doctors also suggest that people with high blood pressure should not touch foreign liquors. But it is also said that toddy can be used as a medicine if consumed in moderation.
Some political parties like the Naam Tamilar Party in Tamil Nadu claim false accusations are being levied against toddy. It said that toddy is claimed to be a drug and its production linked to illicit liquor, where toddy is a consumable food material since the alcohol content in the palm wine varies from 1 to 7 per cent. Because of this, ‘Panangal’ and ‘Thennangal’ would be declared as Tamil national drinks under ‘Panampal’ and ‘Tennampal’ and will not cause any harm to the body. The Toddy Movement in Tamil Nadu has been fighting for the last 20 years urging the state government to lift the ban on palm wine.
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