Rooted in Mango season

CHENNAI: Mango season and summer holidays are deeply intertwined. It’s not just about relishing different varieties of mangoes, whether eaten fresh, turned into curries or preserved as pickles, but also about the flood of nostalgia they bring for many.

For Aysha Rau, managing trustee of The Little Theatre, mangoes hold a particularly special place. “The fruit has literally charted my life!” she says. Born in Thiruvananthapuram, she grew up surrounded by an endless supply of large, fibreless mangoes from her garden. At four, her father joined the UN and moved to Nairobi, where her childhood was filled with happy memories of fresh mangoes and safari parks. In 1966, the family relocated to Mogadishu, a land she recalls for its bananas and camels. Soon after, she was sent to boarding school at Kimmins High School in Panchgani (1968-1973), where she fondly remembers the food. “Especially freshly churned ice cream made in wooden drumlike machines, with seasonal fruits like strawberries and sweet mangoes. It was so tasty.”

In 1974, her father was posted to South Sudan, and her mother carried seeds and saplings from India to plant in their garden in Juba. “By then, I had joined a school in London. Ma even planted a mango tree! People said it was pointless since UN postings lasted only five years. But her response was firm: ‘I will eat a mango under this tree before we leave.’” True to her word, seven years later, she finally tasted the fruit from her own tree; only then did the family move again, this time to Dominica in the West Indies.

For actor-politician Madhuvanti Arun, mangoes are tied to cherished family moments. “The mangoes from my aunt’s house in Poes Garden were, and still are, a delicacy. As a family, we’ve always looked forward to enjoying them every summer,” she shares.

Dancer Lakshmi Ramaswamy associates summer with the sight of golden mangoes lining market pavements. “The juicy fruit is everyone’s favourite,” she says. Growing up in Tirunelveli, the ‘Neelam’ variety was abundant. Beyond the fruit itself, she remembers her mother’s creations like halwa, squash, sambar, morekuzhambu, and more. “As a child, I longed to taste other varieties, but Neelam was all we had.”

Now based in Chennai, Lakshmi has access to varieties like Malgova and Alphonso, yet her favourite remains Banganapalli. “Its thin skin, fleshy pulp and zero fibre make it perfect. It pairs beautifully with breakfast or lunch. Its simplicity and mild sweetness make it even more appealing.”

She also recalls playful childhood memories of siblings guarding their portions of cut mangoes, only to sneak pieces from each other’s boxes. “Mangoes have always been a simple yet joyful celebration, something we eagerly await every season,” adds Lakshmi.