Sri Lanka, March 13 -- For centuries, the tall palmyrah trees have dominated the Northern skyline. The resilient palmyrah tree or panaimaram in Tamil, is a tree that sustains life for many Tamil families residing in Jaffna and its surrounding villages.

Almost every part of this tree can be gainfully used by humans. This life-giving attribute made ancient poets to recite that the forest deity, Talavassini, roamed amidst the palmyrah clusters, which seemed to reach into the very sky. To those from Colombo, the tree is simply connected with thal raa or palmyrah toddy. Perhaps it is one of nature's own eco-friendly beverages. Toddy tapping happens in many provinces of Sri Lanka. The sap is extracted from coconut trees and palmyrah trees. The...