-Brian Mendonça
In May-end we received a call that our mangoes were being
plucked without our knowledge. We asked the one who called, to please arrange
to have the mangoes plucked for us. We would collect them later.
When we met the good Samaritan, we were informed that the
good turn was met with curses from those who found their supply of free mangoes
at an end.
Apparently there had been sounds at night when the intruders
were helping themselves to the Manilar
mangoes on our tree. When asked to ignore the noises, with the explanation that
the neighbours must be plucking the mangoes from the trees in their own
property, our angel in disguise argued, ’Does one pluck one’s own mangoes at
night?’
Not living in the village I always wondered how we would
take care of the property. Yet we could not help marvelling how someone who we
did not know was willing to take up cudgels on our behalf – that too for free.
The person refused to accept any money for removing the mangoes which, not
finding any pluckers, did the job on one’s own.
In Bombay we were presented with a box of Alphonso mangoes. Another family
presented us with Dusehri.
A foray into Mapusa market made me spy the Totapuri mango enshrined in the lines
from my poem, ‘May Queen’ describing Goa in May : ‘Luscious Mancurada mangoes / Yield way to the Totapuri . . .’ (Goa, 2004) A recent article by Vivek Menezes states that
Goan mangoes are the best in the world.*
Other varieties are Malgaes, the ‘rosy-hued’ Musarat and Malihabadi. This last variety is all the way from Malihabad, near
Lucknow. I had the opportunity to pass
by Malihabad, 27 kms. from Lucknow and wrote these lines enroute at Takia
station:
Takia
-Brian Mendonça
Thy
laden boughs
Feed
the multitudes
Of the
king of fruit
In the
sleeve of India
Safeda trees range in
solidarity
as
egret and fowl
bank
over bushels of crop.
(Uttar Pradesh
1999)
Hyderabad
is famous for the Banganpally (Benishan) mango. You can also order mangoes online.
Ever since we collected two sacks of mangoes, we have been
busy distributing them before they are over-ripe. It has led to many
relationships being renewed and much cheer being spread. The mangoes are also
sent through willing friends and relatives outside Goa.
Our windfall was even more surprising because sometime back
the standing mango trees in our plot at Siolim were mysteriously burnt down.
The explanation bandied about was, ‘Lightning struck the tree.’ To which the
villagers nodded their heads saying, ‘Lightning struck only one tree?’ The
mangoes we got were from the tiny shoots which survived.
I love the tor pickle
made out of raw mango. Earlier we used to sit around the table making the
annual mango miscut pickle.
Srngara
-Brian Mendonça
Yes,
the chausa is firm
ripe,
and luscious
But how
must I choose
when
you provoke me
with
your breasts?
(New Delhi
1999)
----------------------------------------------
Published in Gomantak Times Weekender, Panaji, Goa on Sunday, 16 June 2019. Pix of trees in the backwaters of the Mandovi river, Goa. Courtesy: green essentials.
Sngara: (Sanskrit: erotic love) is one of the nine rasas in Indian aesthetics. It was advanced by the sage Bharata in his Natyashastra (1st century BCE to 3rd century CE).
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