The appearance of bicycle-borne men selling Akkani, the processed sap of palmyra trees, signals the advent of summer in the city.
Though weathermen might aver that it was not summer yet, the vendors, who mostly hail from Valliyoor in neighbouring Tamil Nadu, can be spotted in different parts of the capital city.
Many relish Akkani while some detest it. But it seems to be a widely patronised summer drink to beat the rising mercury levels. And, many urbanites feel that there is something distinctly rustic about the manner in which it is served to customers under the shady trees that line the Chakka-Kazhakuttam National Highway bypass.
In a fast movement that almost mimics a professional magician's well-rehearsed sleight-of-the-hand trick, the vendor moulds a green palmyra leaf into a boat-shaped vessel. He then drops a scoop of the succulent but bland kernel of the Palmyra nut, Nongu, into the vessel and tops it with a ladle-full of the sweet and sticky sap that faintly smells of lime that is added to the sap to delay fermenting.
The vendors set out at dawn from their homes and arrive at Vizhinjam by vans and lorries. Each person has along with him a metal pot containing about 10 litres of Akkani and a few bunches of Palmyrah nuts and leaves. They hire bicycles from those who rent it out in bulk to fish vendors at Vizhinjam and set out to different parts of the city for the day's business.
The vendors set-up shop along the tree-lined avenues and highways of the capital. Their business starts in the morning and peaks around noon. Most of them wind up the day by 3.30 p.m. and bicycle back to Vizhinjam from where they take inter-State buses or hitch-hike on the cargo hold of lorries back home.
Akkani vendors do a brisk business and they charge less than tender coconut vendors do. A tender coconut sells for Rs.20 while Akkani sells at half-the-price.
