Gone are the glorious yonder days when Thanjavur was famed also for its tender tingy betel vine. The picture of a quintessential Tanjorean chewing his red chilly-hued mouth full of tender betel vine, sliced arecanut roasted in ghee and tobacco with a dash of rosewater all contriving to emanate an intoxicating fragrance from him is fast receding into memory.
Tanjoreans — from farmers through artisans to the elite — chewed betel vine but that is now becoming a costly addiction as the continuing drought and a dry Cauvery jacking up the price of the betel vine beyond the common man's reach.
The banks of Cauvery and its major tributaries served as the nurseries for betel vine gardens in Thanjavur district. Water flowed aplenty most of the time. There was lush greenery all round, groundwater level was high, the climate was salubrious and it was in those environs that the famous Tanjore betel vine gardens thrived.
The growers and traders prospered together as they need not go elsewhere to find markets as almost the whole production was consumed in the delta region itself. Such was the burgeoning market for product that had a short shelf life.
“Today the productivity has taken a sharp dip. While previously we were realising 200 bundles (2,500 leaves each) for every picking for an acre, these days we are getting less than 100 bundles. Principally that is because of the dry Cauvery riverbed and no flow down the river. The drought-like conditions affect the growth of the betel leaves, besides exposing them to various pest attacks, including black spot blight, which have now become frequent,” says J. Charles, a third generation betel vine grower belonging to Aachanoor near Tiruvaiyaru.
Betel vine gardens abound the region between Tirukaattuppalli and Swamimalai as also Kandiyur, Nadupadugai, Rajagiri, Papanasam, Pandaravaadai, Ilangarkudi, Aavoor, Govindakudi and other areas neighbouring Kumbakonam in Thanjavur district.
Unlike their counterparts in Krishnarayapuram of Karur district, Mohanur in Namakkal district and Musiri in Tiruchi district, betel vine growers in Thanjavur district do not seek markets outside the State. One reason is the tender nature of the produce that would not withstand long range transportation.
The varieties in Thanjavur region are different from those in other areas. Here, the growers prefer Vellakodi and Pachakodi varieties of betel vine, but mostly they say that Vellakodi leaves have a good market. Now the farmers get ₹50 a kowli (100-110 leaves).
With the production levels down, the cost of the produce has gone up considerably impacting the consumer.
“At the retail level, for a pair of betel leaves I have to pay ₹2. We used to buy a kowli previously but now that costs ₹100 and I could not afford it. We are hooked to chewing betel vine and now we find it pinching,”' avers S. Dakshinamurthy, a roadside fruits vendor belonging to the Santha Pillai Gate here.
Regular flow down the river is the only solution to the problem of both the producers and the consumers of betel vine in Thanjavur and they hope for a good turn of fortunes.
