Manikkam, who ekes out a living from the rural employment guarantee scheme, goes straight to the sacred grove on the Edayilakkad island soon after she finishes work to feed the monkeys there.About 20 monkeys stranded in a 12-acre sacred grove on a small island in Kerala’s Kasaragod district owe their existence to a daily wage labourer. The simians wait for the woman who feeds them every evening like a loving mother.
Manikkam, who ekes out a living from the rural employment guarantee scheme, goes straight to the sacred grove on the Edayilakkad island soon after she finishes work. The monkeys would be waiting for the vessel of cooked rice she carries with her.
Nobody knows how the troop of monkeys ended up in the island. Old timers suggest that they were washed up in a flood years ago.
On days she is held up somewhere, the older monkeys could be seen keeping a watch on the path that leads out of the sacred grove. The moment Manikkam is spotted, the dense grove would come alive with anticipation.
The unusual ecosystem in the Valiyaparambu panchayat near Thrikkarippur is into its second generation. Manikkam’s mother Chiri started the practice when she realised that the monkeys were starving to death on the island. She would take a portion of rice to the sacred grove every evening.
The monkeys were sceptical initially. They kept away from the feast served on plantain leaves. Gradually they accepted Chiri’s magnanimity. After Chiri died, Manikkam took over. Manikkam, who is 76 years old, has been feeding the monkeys for 26 years.
Manikkam knows every one of her guests. She has a common name for all of them - Pappi. She manages to feed the animals with her meagre wages. Other locals and visitors to the grove feed the monkeys too.
Manikkam said that she makes sure that the monkeys are not fed salt. A team from the Thrissur zoo has warned her against feeding salt to animals. Salt can affect animal reproductive system, they said.
Sometimes, the monkeys get rice mixed with jaggery along with fruits and nuts.
Near extinction
When Chiri took the monkeys under her wings, the animal population had shrunk to just five. By the time Manikkam took over, the monkey clan had grown to more than 30. However, 10 of them died in mysterious circumstances last year. People said that someone had poisoned the animals.
Manikkam was shattered by the tragedy. She found support in the workers of the local library. Navodaya Vayanasala secretary P Venugopalan and colleagues stood by her in her hour of loss.
Chiri and Manikkam have convinced the local people to work for the conservation of the sacred grove. The people make an effort to protect the biodiversity of the forest patch. Members of the library clear plastic wastes from the grove in regular intervals.
During Onam, the monkeys are treated like royalty. They are assured of a sumptuous feast including rice, tomatoes, beetroot, carrot, cucumber, banana, papaya, pineapple, guava and jackfruit. The feast has been going on for a decade.
Manikkam and other people in the area sing songs while the monkeys relish the treat.
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