‘Mangoes made my childhood sweeter’

Mangoes mean sticky fingers and long summer days. Back then, summer arrived with the smell of pickles, mango-splattered afternoons, and fights over the last aanti. CT speaks to four self-confessed mango lovers who recall their childhood memories.

The aam er aanti was the highlight—we used to fight over it: Gargee RoyChowdhury

Actress Gargee RoyChowdhury’s mango memories are dipped in simplicity and whole plate of love. “Dudh, aam, kola diye makha bhaat was summer on a plate. It is my comfort food. But, the prized possession was always the aanti. We’d fight over who gets to cherish it.” Gargee said: “No mango dessert now can beat that memory,” adding, “Today, there are mango souffles and cakes, but nothing replaces the sweet comfort of dudh-aam-bhaat.”

I loved plucking mangoes from trees: Ekavali Khanna

Actress Ekavali Khanna’s summers were rooted in the quiet charm of her father’s farmhouse in Barasat. “We’d visit during my school holidays. I remember it having a huge mango orchard. I still remember the joy of watching mangoes being plucked and carefully arranged into huge jhuris. They were sent off to relatives, neighbours, and friends. Sharing mangoes was our way of nurturing bonds. It wasn’t grand, but it was a deeply warm sentiment.”

I survived on just Himsagar during my thread ceremony: Debanjan Chakrabarti

Dr Debanjan Chakrabarti with his dad in Ghatsila, by the banks of River Subarnarekha

Dr Debanjan Chakrabarti, director, British Council, East and Northeast India, grew up in Ghatsila, where mango trees dotted every backyard. “I was the designated climber among my friends, sometimes in our own garden, often in others. When neighbours complained, my dad’s scoldings were inevitable, but part of the thrill,” he said. He added: “During my upanayan ceremony, the dietary restrictions were made bearable only because of the sweet Himsagar mangoes I consumed.”

As kids, catching a falling mango was serious business: Upal Sengupta

For musician Upal Sengupta shared that at his home, a Himsagar tree grew tall against all odds. “Many said it wouldn’t thrive, but it did,” he recalls. But harvesting was a group effort. “We couldn’t climb, so when someone did and tossed us mangoes, we had to catch them. It was serious business for us kids. We never let a single mango fall,” he shared with a grin.


Quotes:
The taste of aam dudh bhaat is still so fresh in my memory. It was what I looked forward to the most as a child –Gargee RoyChowdhuryFrom piles of raw mangoes, my dadima would carefully decide the ones that would be pickled. I don’t even need to close my eyes to remember the aroma of it–Ekavali KhannaI still remember my grandma’s tok daal. My mom still makes the best aam kheer with Himsagar & Langda mangoes – Dr Debanjan ChakrabartiCatching fresh Himsagar harvest is a loved childhood memory. It was a game with a sweet reward. And, we had to catch them and win–Upal Sengupta

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