India’s first coir factory in ‘Venice of the East ’

The only natural fiber that is not grown primarily for the purpose of extracting coir, whereas jute and sisal are grown solely for the purpose of producing fibers. The Coir industry is well-known in Alappuzha, Kerala. In the manufacturing of Coir, both men and women are actively involved. The yarn spinning industry is dominated by women, while the product weaving industry is dominated by males. Let’s look into how Alappuzha, Venice of the East got the first coir factory in India.

Alleppey or Alappuzha popularly known as the Venice of the East; Image source: seasoncoir

The Coir Industry is Kerala's largest cottage industry, employing more than a million people. Kerala (Kerlam in Malayalam) is derived from the word coconut. "Kera" means coconut in Malayalam, and "Alam" means land, so Keralam means "Land of Coconut." Everything in Kerala has evolved around the coconut tree, from its culture to its cuisine.

The coconut palm has long been a source of adoration and admiration around the world and throughout history. This tree is maybe the only one with a documented history reaching back over 3000 years before Christ's birth.

Coconuts are thought to have originated in South Asia. Coconuts have been flourishing off the coast of New Zealand for 15 million years, according to certain fossils discovered there. In Asia, research has revealed that fossils discovered in Kerala, the "country of coconuts," are significantly older than previously thought. However, the earliest fossils have been discovered in Khulna, Bangladesh.

Coconut is mentioned in the Kishkindha Kanda and also Aranya Kanda of the Valmiki Ramayana. Valmiki is said to have composed the Ramayana sometime in the third century BC. Coconut is thought to have been brought to India during the post-Vedic period. Coconut is mentioned in the Raghuvamsa of Kalidasa and the Sangam literature, demonstrating the coconut's antiquity in India. Its origin in India, however, is disputed.

Marco Polo, a famous Arab explorer who visited India in the 13th century, referred to coconut as "Indian Nut,". According to Kerala historian Shri. P. K. Balakrishnan organised coconut cultivation began in Kerala only after the arrival of the Portuguese.

Hindu mythology has a take on the origin of coconut. King Trishanku was a devout believer whose greatest dream was to climb into paradise physically. He had previously aided the sage Vishwamitra, and the sage resolved to assist him in achieving his goal. As a result, he performed a yagna, and Trishanku began to ascend into the heavens. When Indra, the God-King, saw Trishanku at the gates of Heaven, he became enraged and grabbed him and hurled him down. "Let Trishanku stay where he is now!" Vishwamitra yelled as he saw Trishanku falling below. The fall of Trishanku was halted. Trishanku became trapped between heaven and earth after Indra refused to let him ascend into heaven and Vishwamitra refused to let him descend.

Vishwamitra realised that unless Trishanku was supported by physical means, he would inevitably fall to the ground, so he propped him up with a long pole. Trishanku's head became the fruit of the coconut tree, which grew from the pole. Trishanku's beard is the fibre that wraps around the coconut. You can see his eyes looking at you when you take it off. This mythical account has been embellished by folklore to explain the origin of the coconut tree.

The golden textured Indian Coir Fibre quickly dominated European and global markets, earning it the unofficial brand moniker 'golden fibre.' Due to the availability of cheap labour and an abundance of raw material, coir industrial units came to be concentrated in and around Alleppey, a thinly populated, sparsely populated, with communication facilities by road was sparse, but had facilities for shipping the product.

Mr James Darragh, an Irish born American convinced of the potential of the fibre and yarn, came to Alleppey, the state's main port, and established a production unit with the establishment of the first coir plant in India at Alleppey in 1859. He enlisted the services of Henry Smail, a foreign businessman, and the "Darragh Smail & Company" factory. Coir factories were quickly developed in Alleppey, Kollam, Kozhikode, Kochi, and other regions of Kerala by the great corporations of the time.

Darragh Smail's success attracted many other Europeans to Alleppey, and industry heavyweights such as Coir Yarn Textiles, Pierce Lesley & Co, William Goodacre & Sons, Volkart Brothers, Madura Co., Bombay Co., and Aspinwall & Co moved in to capitalise on the golden fibre's potential. Soon, Alleppey became a household name throughout Europe.

Extracting coir; Image source: Flickr