MANGO MEMORIES

We have learnt in school that the mankind can be divided into different groups on the touch stones of different parameters. But if you ask me, specially when the summer starts, mankind can be divided into just two groups....Mango Lovers tribe and No Mangoes tribe!!! Don't laugh... I am pretty serious! Mango has created a great rift in the human race. And I am the victim of the on going fight of the tribes in my own household!!!! With the advent of the summer, the King of the fruits, Mango is on the prowl. Most parts of India come under its grip. Mango mania can be seen every where from households to restaurants. I even know of few families who courier the mangoes to their near and dear ones across the globe!!! I have some sour and sweet memories of the mangoes to share with you today. Juice them if you like or cut them if you please...but relish it to the last line!!!

Here is one of my friend’s share of mango memory….. she studied in a vernacular medium school, so was introduced to the English as a subject only in 5th standard.  To begin with they had simple words to learn, like...fruits, flowers, vegetables etc. They had an English teacher who taught English in the most unorthodox ways… To help them understand that “Aamba” (mango in Marathi) is mango, she devised a phrase that its a  “man on the go”  And it clicked the students well because in those days getting Alphonso mangoes was difficult in their part of world. So it was like, mango…….already over……..“man go”:-(  Till now, first thing that comes to her mind when the mango season starts is a funny imaginative picture of mango, walking away like a man :-) :-)

There is one more very funny memory of another friend’s cousin bro.  They were all visiting their native village during summer vacation.  Their farm had 50 odd mango trees.  They could not wait to relish the tasty mangoes and so decided that they would climb up the trees after lunch time, to devour some delicious mangoes.  Being elder, the boys offered to climb and the girls waited down with the bags and mouths, both open!  Right then, one of the  heavier cousins ventured onto a thin branch.  Obviously it could not take his weight and gave way.  For his bad luck, he fell down right into a heap of bullock poop:-) They all erupted into a loud laughter, instead of checking whether he was hurt or otherwise.  Till date they tease him about his bullock poop body pack!

This one is my own mango memory...more sour than sweet! I don’t like the fruit at all. I have valid reasons to be on the other side of the fence, for sure. It was not the same in my younger days. In those days, I used to relish a lot of juicy mangoes. During summers, when my parents used to bring mangoes home, me & my brother used to love “aamras” (mango milkshake).  But mangoes were never kind to me! Eating mangoes resulted into pimples and boils! And getting rid of them was a big, tough task after all. And the pain that I used to have because of the boils, it was simply put, excruciating!!  

As the years passed by, distance between me and the mangoes grew farther and farther. Nowadays, when I get boxes of mangoes, I keep few at home. Because my better half and my daughter are from the other tribe! And I take pleasure in distributing rest of them amongst my friends and relatives who love them. In return I get blessing from all mango lovers tribe for being so kind!!!
  

Which tribe do you belong to? Would love to hear about your mango memories as well....

--------------------By MocktailMommy Rupa