Bonding over the king of fruits

The one fruit that is truly irresistible for most people are mangoes. It is relished in all forms and flavours. The king of fruits continues to hold the fancy of the old and the young alike.

Ranga Shankara recently played host to a ‘Mango Party’. Everyone was invited and the deal was to bring a kilo of mangoes and eat as much as possible from the pool of mangoes.

 This way one gets to taste all kinds of mangoes that are available in the market. The place was filled with young children running around with mangoes in their hands and the elders too not far behind taking a dig at the varieties that were up for grabs.
Almost every table was filled with mango enthusiasts willingly sharing stories about their love for the fruit.

Somewhere in the corner were a group of German theatre artistes who were enjoying every bite of the fleshy fruit.

“Back home, mangoes are not so sweet. This is the first time I have tasted such juicy mangoes. The entire concept of bringing the community together and sharing fruits is simply amazing,” explains Nicholai, a German theatre artiste.Seventy-year-old Hamsaveni came all the way from K R Puram to be a part of the event.  What brought her to the place was her love for Shankar Nag, the actor.

“I have been a big fan of his and when my son told me that his wife has started something like this I picked up two kilos of mangoes and came out here to encourage her,”

she adds. There was a story in every corner of Ranga Shankara waiting to be told. For Shyam and Vidya, it was their children’s love for the fruit and theatre that brought them to the place. “It’s an ideal combination. We get to meet so many people who share the same interest like us,” says Vidya while her daughter Meghana pitches in, “I never knew there were so many varieties of mangoes and each one tastes so unique. I am waiting for the events to take place.”

To keep the party going, there were small activities like storytelling and games revolving around mangoes.

 “Years ago we had started this as a way to bring friends and families together. But today, it’s become so popular that people are coming from across the City to be a part of this community event,” says Anju, who runs the canteen at the place.

   Apart from the eating the fruit in its raw form people were also indulging in mango lassi, mango kulfi and even a special mango grilled sandwich.

“Today is all about the fruit. I remember as a kid the entire family used to sit together and bond over mangoes. It’s one fruit that can form a bond even with total strangers and that’s the beauty of our ‘Mango Party’,” says theatre personality Arundhati Nag.