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The Times of India
The Times of India
World
TOI World Desk

Maldivian wisdom of the day on exploitation, injustice: The rat gnaws into the young coconut, the bat drinks the water

Maldives

Somebody does the work and someone else reaps the benefit. This is the crux of this old Maldivian saying, explained through imagery of vegetation. In the Maldives, the coconut palm is not merely vegetation; it is the historic spine of island survival. For centuries, every single part of the tree was utilized: the fronds were woven into thatch roofs, the trunk was hollowed out to build traditional dhoni fishing boats, and the coconut itself provided vital hydration and nutrition on sun-scorched coral atolls.

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