The fruit-picking stick-Thodhank

Come summer in Mangalore, the ‘Thodhank’ or the fruit picking stick would gain a prime position in the courtyard of the family house. Mango trees would be leaning closer to the ground and yet far away from the reach of the human hands, jackfruit would bunch the tree and the trunk would be camouflaged with the bulge of the jackfruits. At the same time the cashew fruit would spread itself liberally across the trees, while breadfruit, papayas and chiku would attract the bats as they blossomed with the fruit.

The ‘saibas’ (the muslim tradesmen) who are the typical Muslim traders of Mangalore, would start visiting homes wearing their blue checkered ‘lungis’ (garment wrapped around the waist) and initiate dialogue with the owner of the orchards after having scrutinised the trees. One could not have thought of any better trader than the ‘saiba’, for he was not only loyal to the household but knew how to get you the right bargain. Religion took a backseat and trade came first and this built harmony amongst the community. Summer fruit and the harvest was always the focus point of all deliberations at home.

Meandering to the ‘thodhank’, children would quietly gain access to this fruit picking stick, when the rest of the household enjoyed the siesta. The ‘thodhank’ was a tool made out of a long pole which had a hook at the tip of the pole (made out of a smaller piece of wood and secured to the tip of the main pole at an angle). The holding of the ‘thodhank’ required immense strength due to its height, lot of pressure on the shoulders, focus on the target, judgement of the distance and sensitivity to safety; for the fruit could fall from a height onto the head or the body of the person causing injury. Hence, the elders of the house would ensure the ‘thodhank’ was rested at a height and hung between two loops made out of coir.

The tip of the ‘thodhank’ was fixed with different tools to pluck different fruit. While the smaller piece of the bamboo at the tip of the pole was used to pluck mangoes, cashew fruit, chikus, a small sickle was tied to the tip of the ‘thodhank’ to pluck jackfruit and breadfruit. The reason being, the sickle had to be used with judgement by the fruit plucker, needle through the jackfruit bunch, slit the stem of the fruit and bring it down. Accuracy was the secret to the use of this tool apart from strong shoulders or else the pole could fall on the shoulders.

The ‘thodhank’ also came in different sizes. For trees that were huge and heights were a constraint for the fruit plucker from the ground, or for trees where the branches were widespread, the smaller ‘thodhanks’ were used. The ‘saiba’ would ensure that he had young boys who were agile to climb these trees with ease and reach out to each branch as their feet rested on the branch and the body balanced itself securely and pluck the fruit. The tip of the pole also went through a lot of innovation as they were fixed with a net at the tip to safely pluck the fruit and gather them in the net. For larger fruit like jackfruit, there was an alternate technique of tying a rope around the fruit and safely bringing it down so as to avoid it from cracking.

The fruit plucking activity took place when the sun was bright and up in the sky and mostly in the afternoons. The shade was provided to the fruit plucker by the canopy of the tree and vision was accurate for the fruit plucker in the brightness of the sun. The plucked fruit would then be spread on a large spread of cloth in a heap, counted and then loaded in a truck to the godown where it would be ripened using hay stacks before it reached the markets.

Today, fruit plucking tools are advanced and are not as cumbersome as the old ‘thodhank’. They come with adjustable poles, poles that can be twisted to pluck the fruit, with various fruit-picking equipment, poles made out of steel or plastic, with lightweight fruit catchers, bags and clippers and are far more safer than the ‘thodhanks’. However, the joy of surreptitiously bringing down the ‘thodhank’ from its rest place on a hot summer afternoon while the rest of the household is quiet, of grouping as cousins and friends, of the adventure of going into the groove with the tool in hand, of focus on the target and the sense of achievement as you pluck a basket of fruit is an experience that is unmatched today by modernity and innovation.