Kallichottu | Normal Tamil Words With A Negative Meaning

BLIND RITUALS

Kallichottu is the Tamil word to describe a drop of thick, milky sap of the cactus. This phrase is commonly used as coffee lingo in households across Tamil Nadu to denote the similarity in thickness of the coffee decoction to the liquid from the plant. For a long time, I have heard this phrase used in many families, including mine.  We would call that first half of the decoction drip kallichottu because of its similarity in thickness.

I have never questioned the root or origin of phrases, especially if the term seems quite self-explanatory. In this case, chottu means drop, and kalli means cactus. I could understand the relation to the thickness but never questioned the absurdity of connecting cactus to coffee.  

After understanding the root behind this phrase, I feel obligated to share. Coming from a country with the highest rate of female infanticides, I urge anyone from a Tamil background or an understanding of the Tamil language to read and share. 

WHAT IS KALLI PAAL?

Kalli Paal is the thick, milky sap of a poisonous cactus variety known as Oduvan in Tamil and Cleistanthus Collinus.

Back when I studied at Guru Nanak College in Chennai, I had heard another phrase used by some of my college mates in conversation with others. Again, I never made the connection to coffee’s Kallichottu. They would use the phrase “Unakku Kalli Paal Ootha” to share their frustration in some weird sense of dark humor. My understanding of the phrase was very basic with the words Unakku meaning to you, Paal meaning milk, and Ootha meaning pour. These terms are used in place of phrases such as “You’re dead meat” or “You’re so dead.”  I assumed Kalli was used for a more dramatic effect and didn’t know about the significance of the word Kalli at the time. In my ignorant vocabulary, Kalli just meant cactus. 

A SICKENING PHRASE

Abandonment of babies, predominantly female babies, is not a problem specific to only Haryana, one of the highest for incidents of female infanticide in India. It is an unfortunate, cruel practice to this very day in many parts of India, including Tamil Nadu. We have seen this over many generations. Sadly, to this day, some seriously sick individuals use the age-old practice of giving the sap of this thick cactus milk to newborn female children. In India, not only are female children abandoned at an alarming rate, the killings are made with blind faith in ridiculous, deep-rooted traditions that should never have existed in the first place. Despite measures taken by the government, this is still being performed illegally on innocent babies. 

As a mother of a girl child myself, my heart bleeds. How could someone have even had the heart to describe how they like their coffee with the same ingredient used to kill female children? Only someone very sick in their mind. 

As a speaker of the Tamil language, I now understand and stand educated on how awful this phrase is. I will never describe my decoction this way ever again. A harsh lesson learned to understand inner meanings before their usage.