Salcettes toddy bear keeps Goas feni spirit tapping
Feni Fransicso is the maker and preserver of Goas best known ambassador of goodwill and friendship-feni. At sixty-five, the Tarzan from Salcette swings from palm to palm to pluck coconuts and tap toddy to make feni. This is a first of a new series, Keepers Of The Past, profiling Goans who till today, nurture and preserve those little slices and nuggets of Goa that are fast diminishing, Zena Costa, meets the artist who knows his feni like the back of his palm
Hanv zaite maad chodla
hanven zaite paus podoilliant
says Francisco Rodrigues or Feni Francisco as he is to feni guzzling
Saashtikaars, belying his 65 years one observes him nimbly scramble and descend swinging palms. Years, in fact are rather inapt to mark the passage of characters like Francisco who are timeless custodians of Goas prized heritage. His words translated from Konkani I have climbed many a palm
weathered many a monsoon
are germane to the arduous journey of this man from Per-Seraulim, Colva.
Orphaned at age 6, Francisco lived with his uncle, and worked as caregiver cum playmate to the kids of the local Bhatkar by the time he was 11 he had moved on to tending cattle, tapping toddy and plucking coconuts for Rs.15 a month. For the hardy lad, both marriage and enterprise happened at 20. Whilst he continued to pluck coconuts for steady income, (with the backing of his wife whom he describes as God sent and a great mother to their three children), he hired few palms from the Bhatkar and put years of toddy tapping to fine use to brew feni and vinegar. What started off as Devachem besanv asliar zatlem (God willing, it will work) more than forty years down the line, is a success story accepted with touching humility and modesty.
It is to Feni Francisco that connoisseurs and regulars of the hardy brew travel from all over Goa. Some clients go back a good 30 years or so and extend to Goas top politicians, tiatr artistes and cross borders to Bollywoods Anthony Gonsalveses. Such is the demand, that off- season (monsoons) Francisco sells only one bottle per person. It wouldnt be fair to persons driving all the way from Bardez to go empty handed. He says. Otherwise, a client may buy upto 10 bottles each.
Franciscos routine today is the same it was at 20. Up at 5 am, he ascends palms to hang the Budkulo (earthen pot) to collect toddy. Its coconut plucking until noon (a brief Kanji-break at 11am). Back on the palms by 1 pm to descend with a pot of toddy and heads for his tiny brewery adjoining his humble home. Watching him at work is a lesson in minutiae and intricacies of the art of brewing feni.
Ask him if factories manufacturing Feni are selling authentic stuff, he slaps the palm he was leaning against, as if it had just insulted his grandmother but calms down to rue the fact that spurious stuff sold by factories at cheap rates, has traditional brewers shut shop. Some often complain my price is high, but if a man knows Feni from what passes off as feni, he can tell by taking a small sip the true Feni drinker can tell from smell knows that many a laborious day has gone into the making. I dont advertise or force anyone to buy he says. Francisco gets bit emotional as he tells Hya soryaan Goemchem nanv soglia sounsarak gazoilam(this spirit has sung the Goan melody to the world) and adds I would rather that God takes me away, than keeps me alive to make and sell something else as Coconut Feni.
Interestingly, the proud keeper of Goas coconut Feni is a teetotaler. How does he test the stuff? God gifted me with this art I can tell by looking by just the first whiff I feel lucky to be able to keep alive something precious to Goa.
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