The Coconut King is Dethroned!

Education is destroying Kerala! In Lawrence Gable’s article, “Kerala Turns to a Machine,” the promise of free education is slowly demolishing its coconut industry. For years, India’s caste system has been a dominant force in its society, but it is being broken down in the world’s coconut capital: Kerala. This system controls the lives of Indians, controlling who they are to associate with, the quality of their lives, and whether or not they receive the coveted privilege of education. However, in the past few years, the Indian government has offered education without charge to people of the lower castes, opening doors to opportunities for the minimum wage coconut pickers of Kerala. Instead of laboring in coconut farms, schooling would provide the laborers who climb the sky-high with a better life. This may seem like a positive subject, the sudden departures of coconut pickers does not bode well with the harvests, with each harvest bringing even less of the fruits every time. Although education can help some communities thrive, in some cases it can be determined to culture and economy.

Kerala relies on its powerful coconut industry, and with education causing its decline, its economy also sinks with it. The sudden integration of education “is threatening Kerala’s coconut industry” (Gable, 1). The opportunity of schooling and a better lifestyle is leading away prized pickers from the business, leaving behind a dramatic shortage of workers. Suddenly, there is no one left to pick enough of the fruits, leaving job spaces open, and nobody around to fill them up. This abrupt scarcity of laborers takes a serious toll on Kerala’s economy, which is entirely based on coconut production. The people of Kerala’s communities are centered around...

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...le of economical devastation. The prices of everyday items would rise, from the gas used in the truck to transport the fruits to the local market’s more expensive prices, as a way to cope with the transportation costs. This series of events would catapult every nation into a another great depression that would take years to recover from. Coconuts may seem like just a small piece of the puzzle, but it is in fact a great contributor to the economy.

Education is an appreciated privilege in every country, but its effect is devastating to the coconut king‘s economy, Kerala. The chance at an easier life is luring away the low paid but valued coconut pickers that climb huge trees to reach the coconuts. This inconvenience is slowly affecting the world’s economy, making governments worry. This dilemma leaves the country divided and exasperated at its attempt at equal rights