Mango and Jackfruit Mela at Lalbagh

Mangoes and Jack fruits have arrived at Lalbagh.

The sheer range of varieties is mind boggling. Some I had heard of Mallika,Badami,Alphonso,Raspuri,Totapuri,Neelum to name a few. But the others -Lilly, Panchavarnam, Sendhura, Terpentine- never heard of them. So much of yellow and so much fragrance all around me. It was a sheer delight to the senses.

Quite a number of places in Karnataka grow mangoes. Kolar,Tumkur, Ramanagar,Mandya,Hassan to name a few. Good rains yield great mangoes as these fruits are essentially rain fed. Lack of water has been a concern for mango growth as well. ” Water has been insufficient and as we have 500 acres of farm near Kolar we have to call in tankers,” says a organic farmer from this district. She convinced me to buy a locally grown variety Sakkare Guthi.  It tastes like sugar was her argument.

There were numerous stalls. Farmers from Tumkur, Madugiri, Srinivaspura,Chintamani etc touted their wares proclaiming them organic and chemical free. The major varieties had huge demand especially the Alphonso and Bangaloreans tucked with Alphonso boxes was a common  sight.

Near the glass house were the Jackfruit stalls. Chandra and Haladi Halasu(Jackfruit) were in high demand. The farmers I spoke to mentioned that the Chandra Halasu were slightly more in demand because of its red fleshed color. ” The taste of the common yellow variety is more. Yet the Chandra Halasu is the one people ask for as it is rare,” said a farmer from Doddaballapura. They are more expensive too.

Besides the Mango and Jackfruits there were pickles and chikki stalls too. The Mela is ongoing till the end of this month. So do visit and enjoy these summer fruits of the city.

–Usha