Long before the concept of World Environment Day became trendy or ecological conservation a fad, this family had been maintaining this little fragment of natural forest on behalf of their patron gods.
“On the day of Pathamudayam (10th of the Malayalam month of Medom) every year, we hold the ‘noorum paalum’ ceremony for the ‘Naga Yakshi’ and ‘Nagrajavu’ and other minor deities at the Kaavu. On the 41st day of the ceremony, we plant saplings of select trees to maintain the grove,” said C.K. Karunakaran Nair, who as the family’s head holds the position of trustee of the Thachilamplackal family’s Kavu near Uzhavoor. This year it happened to fall on Saturday, June 4. Ït’s only a coincidence,” he added.
“It was much larger in area earlier,” he remembers, but like other places of worship, the Kaavu too fell on lean days. Now the grove consists of only 36 cents and is home to a rich variety of flora. And members of the family, spread all over the area in separate residences, are making an effort to keep this island of biodiversity intact.
In fact, the sacred grove is an island of conservation in a semi-urban spot. The grove lies just one kilometre away from Uzhavoor Junction.
According to Mr. Nair, he took over the trusteeship more than 30 years ago and ever since has not missed a single year in planting new saplings. This year as he was not keeping well, it was his grandson Abhinav Krishna who held the ceremonial planting of three saplings ensuring the continuation of the age-old ritual.
