<p>Fresh fruits, juices, cold beverages and whatever to beat the heat — everyone longs for a relief from the oppressive summer. <br /><br /></p>.<p>Bangalore streets are flooded with fruit and juice vendors competing to quench the thirst. <br /><br />Just before the king of fruits, mango, makes its appearance, there is an exotic fruit that begins to wind its way across the lanes of old areas of Bangalore – taati ningu or ice apple.<br /><br />The pulpy translucent fruit, available only on push carts, is a part and parcel of discerning Bangaloreans’ life during the months of April and May.<br /><br /> The brownish black fruits, the size of a baseball, beckon the fruit connoisseur to the street vendor. <br /><br />Unlike its popular cousin, the coconut tree, palmyra palm is not cultivated on a large scale. <br /><br />There are hardly any taati ningu trees in Karnataka. Most of these trees can be found in scattered stretches of Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh in South India. <br /><br />Prabhu, a ‘Taati Ningu’ seller in Malleswaram says, “We bring the fruits from either Salem or Dharmapuri.”<br /><br />He travels from Salem every year to sell the fruit in Bangalore. <br /><br />“I’ve been coming to Bangalore for the past 10 years; a group of 20 to 30 of us travel every year and we are spread out across the City,” he says. <br /><br />All the vendors said that they prefer coming to the City because they get a good price here. <br /><br />Though the cultivation of the trees takes almost a year, the fruits stay for no longer than a month.<br /><br /> Prabhu and his fellow vendors find wards and other accommodations for the month across the City. <br /><br />“In another week or so, I will be heading back home to my family,” says Prabhu, who stays in Yeshwanthpur. <br /><br />Although their summers are occupied in the city selling fruit, the rest of the year is spent differently. <br /><br />Prabhu goes back to Salem to work on the plantation while Srinivas, another taati ningu seller in Malleswaram, says he sells Ooty apples and pineapples. <br /><br />Perumal, who has been coming to Bangalore for the past six-years says, “I’m going to go back home (Dharmapuri) and farm groundnuts.” <br /><br />Most people are unaware of these vendors and their fruits even though they are an essential part of the City. <br /><br />Chirag M couldn’t even pronounce the name and said it reminded him of a brinjal. Prakash, who stopped to eat some said, “I’ve always passed by the carts but have never tried them before. I thought I would try it today.” <br /><br /> Shreyas said, “My mother wouldn’t let me eat any because she said I would catch a cold if I ate it.” <br /><br />There are some who say that they have been eating it ever since they can remember but those people remain a minority. <br /><br />Commonly called taati ningu in Kannada and tari in Hindi, the ‘Borassus Flabellifer’ remains an oddity to large sections of the City.<br /><br /></p>
<p>Fresh fruits, juices, cold beverages and whatever to beat the heat — everyone longs for a relief from the oppressive summer. <br /><br /></p>.<p>Bangalore streets are flooded with fruit and juice vendors competing to quench the thirst. <br /><br />Just before the king of fruits, mango, makes its appearance, there is an exotic fruit that begins to wind its way across the lanes of old areas of Bangalore – taati ningu or ice apple.<br /><br />The pulpy translucent fruit, available only on push carts, is a part and parcel of discerning Bangaloreans’ life during the months of April and May.<br /><br /> The brownish black fruits, the size of a baseball, beckon the fruit connoisseur to the street vendor. <br /><br />Unlike its popular cousin, the coconut tree, palmyra palm is not cultivated on a large scale. <br /><br />There are hardly any taati ningu trees in Karnataka. Most of these trees can be found in scattered stretches of Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh in South India. <br /><br />Prabhu, a ‘Taati Ningu’ seller in Malleswaram says, “We bring the fruits from either Salem or Dharmapuri.”<br /><br />He travels from Salem every year to sell the fruit in Bangalore. <br /><br />“I’ve been coming to Bangalore for the past 10 years; a group of 20 to 30 of us travel every year and we are spread out across the City,” he says. <br /><br />All the vendors said that they prefer coming to the City because they get a good price here. <br /><br />Though the cultivation of the trees takes almost a year, the fruits stay for no longer than a month.<br /><br /> Prabhu and his fellow vendors find wards and other accommodations for the month across the City. <br /><br />“In another week or so, I will be heading back home to my family,” says Prabhu, who stays in Yeshwanthpur. <br /><br />Although their summers are occupied in the city selling fruit, the rest of the year is spent differently. <br /><br />Prabhu goes back to Salem to work on the plantation while Srinivas, another taati ningu seller in Malleswaram, says he sells Ooty apples and pineapples. <br /><br />Perumal, who has been coming to Bangalore for the past six-years says, “I’m going to go back home (Dharmapuri) and farm groundnuts.” <br /><br />Most people are unaware of these vendors and their fruits even though they are an essential part of the City. <br /><br />Chirag M couldn’t even pronounce the name and said it reminded him of a brinjal. Prakash, who stopped to eat some said, “I’ve always passed by the carts but have never tried them before. I thought I would try it today.” <br /><br /> Shreyas said, “My mother wouldn’t let me eat any because she said I would catch a cold if I ate it.” <br /><br />There are some who say that they have been eating it ever since they can remember but those people remain a minority. <br /><br />Commonly called taati ningu in Kannada and tari in Hindi, the ‘Borassus Flabellifer’ remains an oddity to large sections of the City.<br /><br /></p>
