Mangrove Honey, A Tale Of The Moulis

The origin of the name, Sunderbans has two possibilities tied to it. One, the literal
translation of the word means beautiful forest (Sundar meaning beautiful and Ban
meaning forest) owing to its beauty. Other, it gets its name based on the Sundari
trees found in the forest.

Honey collection is one of the livelihoods of the people of Sunderbans. The honey
collectors are locally called the Moulis. The tribal tradition involves groups of men
braving the mangroves from April to June, in search of honey. The honey collectors
have to journey through ever-changing landscapes crafted by the high and low
tides.
The roots of the mangroves are called pneumatophores which are up-facing
conical root structures visible more so during the low tides. The Moulis have to step
into deep muddy waters and find their way through a maze of spiky aerial roots.
The men pray to Bonbibi, their forest deity seeking blessings and protection
before heading into the forest.
The Sunderbans is a labyrinth of mangroves that is home to the mighty Bengal
tiger, an endangered species along with housing crocodiles and other species. The
Moulis traverse such an unsafe risk-laden path to find the notorious “BLOOD
HONEY”. It is called Blood honey because of the numerous lives that are lost in
man-tiger conflicts that occur while panning out for honey.

Today, the Moulis with the help of honey and spice, forest dept and other
cooperatives have been able to set up apiaries making honey collection safer.
The apiaries are located at a distance from the residence of the tribals and along
the edge of the forests, ensuring the purity of the honey along with the safety of the
Moulis.
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