This train runs through the States of
Kerala, Tamilnadu, Andhra Pradesh,
Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar
Pradesh , Haryana and
New Delhi
..
that is Kerala Express traversing 3035
km halting at 40 stations with
travelling time of - 50h 25m. Sure, would be a test of patience for modern
day youngsters.
The
New
Delhi
bound Kerala Express that left Thiruvananthapuram
Central on Wednesday (19th Sept 2012) was special, for it had one
tonne of jackfruit as part of the Kairali Queen initiative launched by Railways
to transport ethnic agricultural produce to the northern and distant cities. Divisional
Railway Manager Rajesh Agrawal flagged off the train. The jackfruit was
procured by the Jackfruit Promotion Council that is spearheading the
popularisation of the fruit.
Jackfruit (Artocarpus heterophyllus) is a species of tree in the Artocarpus genus of the mulberry family (Moraceae). Known in Tamil as Palapazham, its sweetness has found references even in Sangam literature. The trio of Mango, Jackfruit and Banana collectively known as ‘Mukkani’ are hailed to be excellent in taste having medicinal qualities too and are offered to Gods. Jackfruit is native to parts of South and Southeast Asia, and is believed to have originated in the southwestern rain forests of
India
. They are found in abundance in Panruti, saw a lot of them near Mathur Palem near Thiruvattaru too. They hit the market generally during end Summer around May to July.
Cutting and opening the ripe fruit to take
out the bulbous sweet part known as chulai is an art – the vendor on the street
would do so easily, you will find it so difficult when you try at home, as it
would be too sticky to handle.
The DRM who flagged off the train, said the move would be beneficial to the farmers, Railways, and non-resident Keralites residing in the north. As per an understanding reached between the council and the Railways, a fixed space in trains up to three tonnes would be provided to the council. The loading and marketing of the fruit will be managed by the council. The members of the Jack fruit promotion council were present on the occasion.
The movement of jackfruit comes close on
the heels of the first exclusive goods train Kairali Black that transported
bitumen from Ernakulam to
Bhutan
.
Railways are gearing up to transport latex from Kerala to
Delhi
as part of a move to ensure quick and
efficient transport of freight from the State.
The Hindu reports that two-thirds
of the time can be saved if freight is moved through the rail network and it
will immensely benefit the economy of the State and the business community. Compared
to the 10 days needed by a truck to go from here to
Delhi
, an exclusive goods train can take the
cargo to the national capital in five days.
Like any other fruit, Jackfruit also has
many varieties and a higher % of the fruit falls in the category of ‘coarse’
known as ‘Koozhachakka’ in Kerala. It gets
thrown away and is regarded as low in
stature and would not get served to guests.
Understand that jackfruit
icecreams are popular in parts of
USA
. You get chips made of jackfruit, especially in
Kerala.
The Jackfruit Promotion Council (JPC) has been
demanding for some time to Jackfruit tree as ‘National Fruit Tree’, as an effective
response to global warming and food security, and also to make legal provisions
for the control of felling of jackfruit trees.
With regards –
S.
Sampathkumar
.