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| Saturday, 9 October 2004 |
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Modern technology has invaded almost all endeavours of life so much so that it has not even spared the humble toddy tapper in coastal Sri Lanka. The usual picture of the rugged, barebodied individual with scabbard encasing a menacing knife hanging from the waist and bedecked with other assorted implements wending his way among the coconut groves, has undergone a dramatic transformation in recent times. In addition to all the stuff strapped to his person now is the cellular phone - a status symbol among the middle class some time ago which is now is in common use by ordinary folk including pavement hawkers. In the sleepy hamlet of Kerewalapitiya off Wattala there is this toddy tapper who is often seen climbing coconut trees and precariously balancing across the parallel ropes between the trees to collect the precious nectar - with a cellphone tucked in his waist. It is also common to those on terra firma to hear the ringing tone of a bell up the trees - customers placing orders via mobile phones. With a bottle of toddy (illicit) fetching Rs. 75 today, this tapper would be in a position to more than cover the cost of his cell phone and afford other luxuries which may have been beyond his grasp not long ago. |
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