Goa, March 30 -- JENIFER FERNANDES

joseph@herald-goa.com

ALDONA: Digamber Nagvekar, a resident of Corjuem, has spent most of his life as a coconut plucker. At 50 years old, he continues to climb towering trees, plucking not only coconuts but also mangoes, pruning branches, and ploughing fields to cultivate paddy during the monsoons. For him, this profession is not just a job but a lifelong passion.

"This is not a newly acquired skill. I have been doing this since childhood. When people ask me how long I have been in this profession, I often lose track of time, but when I calculate, I realise that 35 years have gone by so quickly," he says.

Nagvekar comes from a family deeply rooted in traditional occupations. Inspired by his elders, h...