'Aam' baat!

An usual day, when I am late for office! Jumping off the auto rickshaw and running haphazardly to the platform to catch my fast local to Churchgate. Thought was lucky today as I was able to get on to the train that was already at the station. But no, how can luck shine upon me when I need it the most. The train moved at its own lazy pace making my late – later! Though train appeared to be a clearer one – that means I got place to stand with wall behind to lean on…yes, that comes as a blessing in these trains. So, this also means that FM stations on my phone were not getting changed on their own!

With my ears plugged in with some good music, body rested but mind tensed with the poor pace of the train, I looked out to check the station we have reached after almost 20 minutes of getting in. Sad, we had just covered three stations..but hey, what’s that? I see big unripe mangoes hanging on the tress…what beautiful sight! But how did I miss the earlier stages of budding, flowering and fruits on these trees on my way when I travel on this route everyday? I always thought this was a celebration time.

Coming of buds (manjar – as it’s called in Bhagalpur) on mango trees used to be quiet happening in my little home town as it marked coming of season when markets, houses and lunches would be dominated by the rajah of fruits, MANGO! Then would come the little mangoes, that we would call Tikola, which is so khatta…but yummmmmm!!! During the season all games were played around mango trees so that we could collect some tikola. Trees in our compound had to be protected from the outsiders who had their eyes on the hanging joys on the these trees. There used to be a mango tree bit away from my house that produced a variant of mango called ‘Fajli’. Fajli is a kind of mango that’s eaten unripe. Mix it with some salt, red chilly powder etc and it’s a perfect ‘chaat’. In Bihar, we also celebrate a festival around this time called ‘Satuani’, when we have the famous Bihari food Sattu during the day. Some like it sweet but at our home we always had it with spice and the khatta mango chatni was an inseparable part. My mouth waters just with the mention of this chatni. I also remember the famous ‘gudamma’ made of gud and kachcha aam.

My mother happens to be a great ‘Mango’ enthusiast, infact the whole of Northern India is. My parents actually go to these mango markets at 6 am with a sack and buy pure semi-ripe ‘Maldah Aams’. These mangoes are then kept at a cool place to ripe. So, after every lunch/dinner we would pick the ripe ones in lots and party. Mango shake is the special from my mother’s kitchen during the season. Mangoes would be proudly served to the guests. It would also be sent in cartons to relatives living in metros, coz it’s a costly affair for them. For us, it was just too much ‘aam’. Oh, it has been great fun.

Moving to Mumbai, mango appears to a really expensive and tasteless fruit. Those mangoes with red tip are bad! One can find mangoes sitting in a corner on the vendors’ cart with an 'imported' mark sticker on them unlike north, where fruit walas have a dedicated stall for mangoes only. It’s an insult for mangoes to share space with others there. Poor mangoes of Mumbai!

So while still in my thoughts about mangoes, I realized I have reached Mumbai Central and now just 4 stations away from Churchgate. I look around again and find some mango trees without fruits on them. Why? Didn’t their keepers take enough care of these ones? They say mango trees can have powerful reproduction every second year only. So, these ones are in their dull year. Ufff, infertility is in the air, I guess!

And I finally reach office, just 1 hour 15 minutes late. And once again, I forget all about the buds, the flowers, the fruits, the trees and the magic they create every season. Sigh!