Author: Vijaydatta Lotlikar
Genre: Craft
Profusely illustrated.
This is the unusual story of a Goan who fell in love with coconut craft. This man from a traditional goldsmith's family picked up and perfected the art of carving the coconut, its shell and its wood, into unexpectedly artistic designs. Special tips on how to take to this craft, elaborate information on the coconut and its many uses, and an insight into the master craftsman's work and love for his art.
Some interesting facts from this book:
There are sixteen classes of words to describe different types of coconuts in Konkani, the spoken language of Goa. Seven words describe leaf-related terms, five for the kernel, and a few more for the shell and husk.
Lotlikar's book also points out to the large number of uses that coconut is put to, both in Goa and beyond. Collating information from diverse sources, Lotlikar notes that coconut is used in food products -- as coconut 'meat', in dessicated farm, coconut water, coconut milk, cream, spray-dried powder, coconut chips, copra, oil, toddy, and more.