The sweet aroma of narali bhaat (coconut rice) wafts through the air in Koli households on Narali Poornima (Coconut Day) — when fisherfolk from the community venture back into the sea after over two rainy months. Bhavesh Koli, owner of Mi Hi Koli, the Thane and Mulund-based restaurant, shares that every Koli family has their own recipe of the dessert, which he also serves at the eatery. It’s prepared after they worship the fishing boats and offer coconuts and prayers to the sea god seeking to keep fisherfolk safe.

Koli, who lives in Thane, has been heading to Kalwa Bridge every year to offer his prayers. “In some [Koli] gaons, fishermen take out a jatra and parade decorated coconuts. Because we live close to the coast, the coconut plays an important role in our lives,” he explains. The restaurateur recalls that in Naigaon, where his aunt resides, for 15 days prior to the poornima, people leave their coconuts in water to harden their shell. “On Narali Poornima, they attempt to break the coconuts; whoever’s coconut breaks first, loses.”