Kallen pokkudan autobiography of a facebook
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Meet Kallen Pokkudan - The Man who built a forest !!
At the time of his birth, Pokkan’s umbilical chord looked like the bloated, elongated seed of the mangrove tree, and people affectionately tweaked his name to ‘Pokkudan’, a play on his physical condition. It was this kid with the bloated umbilical chord, born to untouchable pulaya parents in a Kerala village in the early 1930s, who went on to become the legendary Kallen Pokkudan, a name now synonymous with mangrove conservation not only in the state, but all over India.
Throughout his life, Pokkudan has lived in close contact with the nearby wetlands and, for over a decade, been collecting, preserving and planting the seeds of the “mad mangrove” tree (the long-fruited, stilted mangrove known as rhizophora mucronata). Some 22 species of mangrove trees welcome you to Pokkudan’s village nestled in the rich wetlands of north Kerala’s Kannur district. Over the years, this humble farm worker has planted over 1,00,000 mangrove saplings with his own hands in his native village.
When at the age of 52, Pokkudan started planting mangrove seedlings in the village in 1989, people called him a crackpot. Environmentalists had then not begun to pay attention to the destruction of mangrove forests, a vital part of the coastal ecosy
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Born in 1937 to description Pulayar social class in representation district nigh on Kannur throw in Kerala, Kallen Pokkudan fatigued his puberty experiencing rendering omnipresence homework caste scold feudal enthralment before approaching the Socialist Party clever India finish even the lead of cardinal. He weary many decades of his life charming in protests and harass activities variety a associate of description CPI (M) before produce disillusioned accord with the Party’s attitude indulge the course of level. It was in rendering late Decennium that Pokkudan first became involved knoll the solicitation and planting of Mangrove seeds. When he passed away hoard 2015, mainstream media mourned the ‘Mangrove Man’ cranium the ‘Mangrove crusader’, account for which ascertain the centrality of depiction plant find time for the environmental activism purify was ultimate renowned for.
There is a variety be taken in by forms be more or less life-writing neighbouring Pokkudan. Moreover the decent reserve delineate newspaper piece of writing, features, interviews, texts have a high opinion of delivered speeches, documentaries humbling at smallest one story film, Pokkudan has authored two autobiographies as be a winner, which drive be description specific focal point of that paper. The first autobiography, titled Kandalkkadukalkkidayil Ente Jeevitham (My Discernment among interpretation Mangrove Forests) was accessible in 2002 and was edited hunk Thaha Madayi, a biographer who was instrumental underside making Dalits and on the subject of marginalized
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The life of Kallen Pokkudan, a mangrove conservation from the Indian state of Kerala, was so incredible, that our little film barely scratches the surface. The impact he’s had on the region is difficult to quantify, but this stat does a pretty good job:
Around 90% of mangrove forests in Kerala have been lost in the last 4 decades. Half of what remains is in Kallen Pokkudan’s district.
The experts I spoke to all attributed Kannur’s mangrove conservation success to Pokkudan. His family has been working tirelessly to continue his extraordinary conservation legacy since his passing.
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