Going Coco With Coconuts

I was doing some research the other day and discovered to my amazement that there is actually a World Coconut Day celebrated on September 2, every year! It was established in 2009 by the Asian and Pacific Coconut Community (APCC), now known as the International Coconut Community (ICC). The day was meant to honour this "tree of life" and recognise that coconuts play a vital role not only as a food source but also as a means of livelihood for millions of farmers, especially in Asia and the Pacific.

- Vinita Siddhartha [e-mail] The writer is an author and the founder of Kreeda, an organisation reviving traditional games

The coconut tree, in all probability, was first cultivated by people of India or Southeast Asia. From here, it was introduced to other tropical countries all over the world. The tree is believed to be of great value everywhere in the tropics because it provides all the essential elements needed to sustain life. Besides food and drink, it offers possibilities of housing, thatching, clothing, containers, oil, brooms, ornaments, and furniture, to name just a few. The botanical name for the coconut is Cocos nucifera. The word 'cocos' is of Spanish origin and means monkey-faced or eerie-faced. 'Nucifera' comes from Latin, meaning nut-bearing plant. So useful is the plant that legends about it abound throughout the tropics. It has in many parts of the world a sacred function and a vital meaning.