KASARGOD: Palai Balakrishnan is a 63-year-old athlete from Kasaragod Chandera who has been living by drinking only tender coconut water for 23 years. In the morning, he will drink the tender coconut water by adding a little honey. after hours of physical exercise on the ground, he will again drink tender coconut water in the afternoon. If the training is prolonged, he will eat an uncooked cabbage, cucumber or papaya. He does not eat food at night. This is the daily routine of Balakrishnan for the last 23 years. According to Balakrishnan, it was this tender coconut energy' that was the secret behind his performance in the long-distance race at the National Civil Service Meet and the Masters Meet in Malaysia in 2010.

Balakrishnan, who retired from Kannur Collectorate in March 2015 as Fair Copy Superintendent, is now an outstanding sports teacher and football player. It was a disease, that affected his oesophagus at the age of 35, that changed his lifestyle. Though he underwent treatment at the Manipal Hospital for a year and a half, there was no improvement. He later tried tender coconut water on the advice of a naturopath in Ernakulam. With that, he recovered from the disease. His fa,ily comprises wife P Gowri, sons Anagh, a Santosh Trophy player and a postal employee, and Ashish, a graduate.