~ Sea lexicon ~

The term is a combination of two words; ‘Kaṭal’ which means sea, and ‘Eṟacci’, the local word for meat. Thus, the literal meaning of the term can be considered as ‘sea meat’. Dolphin is the only sea creature whose skin texture is associated with ‘eṟacci’, while every other form of seafood is connected with the groups of fish. Kaṭaleṟacci Biriyāṇi is one of the few local varieties of biriyāṇis prepared by the natives of Androth island. Lately, as a part of the measures taken by the administration to save the ecosystem of Lakshadweep, the consumption of dolphins has been banned. It is said that the ship on which India’s former prime minister Rajiv Gandhi had traveled during one of his Lakshadweep trips, was followed by a dolphin throughout the way. The elderly people still use the word ‘kaṭaleṟacci’ to refer to dolphins while narrating stories linked with dolphins, while many in the younger generations are unaware of this word and its meaning.