A NAKED NUT
The
cashew nut has a special structure. It is kidney-shaped and occurs at the end
of a 'cashew apple', a false fruit (pseudo fruit) on the cashew tree (Anacardium occidentale L). The nut
develops first and when it is fully grown, its stalk ( pedicel, peduncle or receptacle)
develops into the fruit-like pear-shaped cashew apple which is plump and fleshy
and has a yellow or red colour. The apple and nut fall together when both are
ripe.
They are harvested and processed to yield several edible products. The apple
gives a sweet juice which is either used as a refreshing fruit drink or
fermented to the liquor known as 'Feni'. The seed is a popular snack, often
consumed after roasting. The 'nut' is regarded as the true fruit and the apple
is called a pseudo fruit. But the combination resembles a fruit with its seed
located outside the fruit. This unusual structure is the basis of several
popular stories about its origin.
In a fictitious story, an angel who witnessed
the creation of different varieties of trees by God, wanted to create a tree by
his own design and work. God granted him permission. The angel used all his skills
and imagination to create the cashew tree and proudly displayed his creation
before God for His comments. God appreciated the structure and strength of the
tree, the beauty of its leaves and flowers and the colour and flavour of
the fruit but asked the angel how it
could propagate itself without a seed. The angel was sorry for forgetting to
put the seed in the fruit. So God incorporated the nut as an additional
attachment to the fruit and let the arrangement continue for future generations
in memory of the angel's mistake.
The story is purely fictitious
but offers a warning to anyone who tries to undertake the work of God. The
desire to be 'like God' tempted Eve and Adam to eat the forbidden fruit and
lose the peaceful paradise {Genesis 3:
5-7}. When a skilled doctor treats a patient systematically and gets a positive
result, we must remember that every cure is a miraculous gift of God. Every action
becomes successful when undertaken with
the blessings of God.
"If the Lord does not
build the house, the work of builders is useless; if the Lord does not protect
the city, it is useless for the sentries to stand guard"
{Psalms 127: 1}.
..........................................................................................
© By: Dr. Babu Philip, Professor, Cochin University of
Science & Technology, Fine Arts Avenue, Kochi-682016, Kerala, India, Prof.
Mrs. Rajamma Babu, Former Professor, St. Dominic's College, Kanjirappally and
Leo. S. John, Maniparambil, Ooriyakunnath, Kunnumbhagom, Kanjirappally,
Kottayam-686507, Kerala, India.
For more moral stories, parables and anecdotes for
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