Coconut Tree

Overladen coconut tree in the background

A short, stunted and stupid looking coconut tree has become the cynosure of all eyes. Overseeing the area of the Garden where we exercise, it has always formed part of a nondescript green backdrop of assorted shrubbery growing wild and unkempt. Now it is bearing fruit.

Yusuf Rassiwala

In fact, the tree has become so heavily laden that for once, it is bent double under the weight of coconuts ready to be plucked.
Yusuf Rassiwala wants them all. “Must be more than a hundred of them up there,” he said, his eyes riveted on the coconut clusters while exercising. “What are they doing there? Let us bring them down and have a party.”
Jagmohan Papneja agreed. “But we will have to find a professional tree climber to bring the coconuts down. I do not know how much those people charge.”
“We’ll find out and share the expenses,” Yusuf retorted. “It is sinful to allow so many coconuts getting wasted.”

Kiran Arora celebrates her birthday today

“But I’ll have to also take the permission of Celebration Club,” Papneja said. “After all this Garden belongs to them.”
That put paid to Yusuf’s grand hopes on having a grand feast of grand coconut delicacies. He kept his mouth shut, even as Papneja consoled him that all was not lost. “I own a coconut tree out there,” he said pointing at a dense undergrowth in the distance. “I had planted the sapling with my own hands after it sprouted out of a pitcher on a Ganapati puja offering. It will also bear fruit.”
Meanwhile, Kiran Arora showed up and in what turned out to be a belated birthday celebration (see yesterday’s post), she posed with hubby Srichand Arora for a photo-op before distributing chocolate bars to all present. Once again, we raised a ‘fourth laughter’ and clapped and cheered, wishing her a long, healthy and happy life ahead.
Jagmohan Papneja:
Yes Yusuf-bhai, it would be my pleasure to fulfill your (possibly typical) demand of plucking coconuts.