Meet Sheeja, the first female toddy tapper in Kerala

'You are a woman, that work is not meant for women...' there are hardly any women who might not have heard these sentences at least once in their lives. However, women are now conquering heights by fighting against marginalization and discrimination. The International Women's Day is meant to celebrate and honour such women. Let's get to know a young woman who bravely stepped into the field where women hesitate to step in.

38-year-old Sheeja, a native of Panniyodu in Kannur, is the first female toddy tapper in Kerala. She entered the male-centric field due to an unexpected incident in her life. In 2019, her husband Jayakumar, a toddy tapper, was seriously injured in a bike accident. He then underwent treatment for a year. With this, Sheeja took up her husband's job to earn the daily bread for her family.

It was Jayakumar himself who taught her toddy tapping. She first trained by climbing small coconut trees. Soon, Sheeja learnt to climb a tall coconut tree. Initially, she used to feel dizzy and nauseous, while climbing to the top. However, a determined Sheeja overcame these difficulties for the sake of her family. Today, Sheeja is a permanent toddy tapper at the Kannavam toddy shop in Kannur. She obtained a toddy-tapping license in 2019 itself.

Sheeja is the second child in a family consisting of father, mother and five children. Due to financial issues at home, she had to stop her studies while studying in Class 8. Later, she started working at the age of 13 to take care of an elderly woman suffering from cancer. She got married at the age of 21. She was leading a happy life with her husband and children when her husband met with a bike accident. With this, Sheeja took up toddy tapping as her livelihood. Sheeja started going to work by leaving her children studying in classes 5 and 8 at home.

In the beginning, her father did not like her taking up toddy tapping. However, her mother supported supported her. Later, her father also started supporting her after seeing her skills.

"At first, I did toddy tapping in secret as I was worried what people would say. Now, I am doing this profession with great pride. It is gratifying to see more women following my path to learn toddy-tapping," Sheeja said.

Sheeja, who established her own position in a male-dominated field, has won several awards. Sheeja has received the Jwala award and the award from several clubs and organizations in Kannur and other districts. She has also appeared as a guest in the Chief Minister's face-to-face program, various channel programs and government programs.