~ My Coconut Friend...~

 He has taken a vow to make people healthy and he is totally committed to this cause. ‘Dayanand’ as he is called with love amongst many of the early bird’s aka ‘Morning Walkers’ many of whom make it a point to have “narial pani” [Coconut Water] after their sweat chocked walk. 

He is dot on time and that is 6:00 a.m. and mostly is accompanied by his son who is a helping hand in his morning chores. After corona, people have risen to one reality of life and that is , “Health is Wealth!” – they have seen human deprivation and death as never before, helpless people who earnestly wanted a life were not given a chance to take the next breath! – All this becomes a glimpse reminder of the near past and this probably is the main cause of many people flocking our neighborhood park to be fit and remain healthy.

bnDayanand is adding to their resolve and bring with him a cart full of about 100 odd coconuts to be distributed on ‘discounted’ price. Some ask him to slice it so that they can have it there and then, many of the morning walkers make it a point to take them home. Just the other day, a gentleman proposed Dayanand if he can bring an icebox to keep some coconuts in it so that many of his customers can enjoy the coolness of the coconut drink.

Dayanand is a humble businessman and is not very strict about pricing his ‘product’ – he knows that many of his customers are his friends and he is in a thorough conversation with him – selling coconuts is just a time pass as he laughingly says sometimes 😊!

His son “Sagar’ was the main reason he switched to selling coconuts – earlier he was a vegetable seller for many years as he tells me. “ Mera beta bahu bimar ho gaya tha, doctor ne jawab de diya tha, nariyal peene se hi theek hua…[My son became seriously ill, he was put on liquid diet, coconut came out as a life saviour for him!] , ever since I have switched my product and started to sell coconut – I now know its therapeutic qualities and is generally good for health – As he spoke, I contemplated that the man who was not so much educated was a degree-less doctor who had taken upon himself to make people drink coconut water for he knew that is good for their health!

To many of his customers, he jokes “100 saal jiyoge agar mera nariyal pani peeyoge 😊!” [ 100 years you will live if you will drink my coconut water!], for sure he is a good marketeer, his laugh is contagious , though he himself is soaked in sweat as his work is purely manual, but he always has an alternative and that is his “Break time” wherein he slashes through on of his ‘Malaaidar Nariyal’ [Cream Coconut] and sips through its content, side by side conversing the benefits to his customers…

Thanks Gayanand for making us connect with the benefits of this drink, I have taken a complete U-turn of having my morning tea-cuppa with an aim to live 100 years as my morning friend vehemently so voices…!