Have you ever wondered what happens to the husk of coconut trees? If not, then it is time you plan a trip to the International Coir Museum in Alappuzha in the state of Kerala. Set amid the lazy backwaters of the town, the first-of-its-kind museum in the world acquaints you on coir’s journey from being a fibrous material found between the hard, internal shell and the outer coat of a coconut to being used to create ropes, doormats, mattresses, floor tiles and sacks. Lately, the Central Government of India is planning to give a boost to the coir sector by sanctioning around 1,000 franchisees to sell coir products and by marketing them through expos within India and foreign countries. the Coir Udyami Yojana, the Indian Government has been imparting training to youth and entrepreneurs for augmenting production and thereby attracting the new generation to the sector. The idea of setting up an International Coir Museum was conceived by Coir Board chairman Prof G Balachandran which turned into reality in May 2014. The museum showcases the history of the coir industry, beginning from the setting up of the first coir factory, Darragh Smail and Company, to the latest technologies developed in coir industry which aim at bringing about a total revolution through “mechanisation, modernisation, diversification and commercialisation. When you walk in to the compound of the museum, it has several halls that enlighten visitors about coir. The hall takes you to the bygone era of James Darragh and Henry Smail whose busts are placed alongside a wall that signifies the first coir factory established by the duo in 1959. Darragh came to Alleppey, the chief port of the state and started the first coir factory, Darragh Smail and Company, with Henry Smail. Visitors also get to know that ropes made from coconut fibre were used in ancient times and Indian navigators who sailed the seas to China, Java, Malaya and Gulf of Arabia used coir for their ship ropes. Not many are aware that a coir industry in the United Kingdom was recorded before the second half of the 19th century. traditional method of natural retting practised in India consists of soaking the husk in backwaters for around a year. This hall showcases the traditional methods of fibre extraction by retting of coconut husk and fibre extraction by rural women. Courtesy: Embassy of India in Nepal