Hanu Reddy Raghava Farms hosts Chennai’s Great Mango Festival, celebrating flavour and community

CHENNAI: Chennai is already embracing the best time of the year - the mango season. From mango salads to mango tres leches, aam ras, and pickling, the city is upping its game each passing year. Offering a unique experience associated with mangoes, Hanu Reddy Mango Tourism is back with the Great Mango Festival, a vibrant celebration of the king of fruits.

The chairman, Hanu Reddy, tells DT Next, “Mango tourism is not just about the fruit - it’s a celebration of culture, community, and connection to the land. At its heart, we aim to reposition the mango from a seasonal indulgence to a globally recognised cultural symbol, much like Japan’s cherry blossom season. We envision a future where people plan their summers around mango season in India - visiting orchards, participating in mango-inspired activities, enjoying regional food traditions, and taking back not just fruit, but heartfelt memories. Our goal is to create immersive, experiential, farm-based tourism rooted in heritage preservation, sustainable rural development, and cultural storytelling.”

Remember the days when we used to live in joint families, enjoying meals together, with endless conversations and heartfelt laughter? Those days vanished in the rush of development, with everything turning nuclear and loneliness being glorified. To bridge the gap, there is a 156-foot table to celebrate community development, where guests can sit together and relish bites of nostalgia. There is a backstory behind the thoughtful community table.

Instead of discarding the trees that fell during the Vardah cyclone in 2016, they repurposed them as a table to cherish connections - with fellow beings as well as with nature.

Most importantly, the farm offers an opportunity to transform into a tourist destination, where farmers can generate direct income from entry fees, produce sales, and collaborative experiences. “Farmers are introduced to alternative revenue models beyond traditional agriculture, offering stability and diversification. The Mini Market by Chennai Farmers Market provides a platform for value-added, sustainable products for consumers. Organic farming and tree-ripening techniques are highlighted, creating demand for natural, high-quality produce,” adds the founder.

Some of the highlights of the festival include mango picking from a 70-year-old orchard, mango-eating competitions, a mango foot massage station, a DIY achaar bar, bullock cart rides, paddy planting, traditional milling and ploughing, pottery, pot painting, leaf printing, and upcycled projects to spark creativity while promoting native art forms.

A festival doesn’t feel complete without great food. For the mangolicious breakfast, the COO of Hanu Reddy Residences, Nirupama Reddy, envisioned something that was not just about presenting the delicious fruit but also about telling stories and evoking memories. “This wasn’t about creating a mango gimmick - it was about reviving recipes from temple kitchens, village homes, and ancestral cookbooks, where mangoes have always had a place, especially during summer meals,” she says.

To offer a gastronomical delight, traditional dishes like pazhaiya soru and raagi koozh are infused with mangoes, tickling the taste buds of guests. Discussing this year’s mango trend in Chennai, Nirupama shares, “It isn’t just another fleeting summer highlight. It is more like a cultural moment. With rising interest in farm-to-table dining, culinary storytelling, and immersive agri-tourism, mangoes have evolved from seasonal treats into symbols of tradition, transformation, and togetherness.”

She also adds that beyond the kitchen, mangoes have made an impact in skincare products, showpieces, and many more. Mango tourism aims to shed light on mango’s diverse expressions across cuisines and regions and position it as a cultural force that brings people together.

To slow down and experience the connection with nature, visit the Great Mango Festival, taking place every Sunday until June 22, at Hanu Reddy Raghava Farms, Othivakkam near Guduvanchery.