The mango tree

The mango tree

I am fascinated with every thing associated with the mango.. The tree, it's sweet smelling leaves, the new flowers heralding summer, the fruits-both raw and ripe and the kaleidoscope of colours associated with it. There are mango trees practically everywhere in God's own country, even on roadsides with temptingly big mangoes hanging at plucking length, but not once have I come across anyone doing it. It is a wonderful mystery. 

We lived in rented houses till few years ago and all I could manage was some potted plants.. And indeed I had potted random seeds of mangoes I had eaten and they remained stunted saplings .. 

The tree I am referring to is outside our now own home in a plot with a small old house. The inhabitants are mostly indifferent to the tree in all seasons and they sweep and discard the fallen tiny mangoes leaving us baffled.  So my daughter and me decide to pick up the tiny ones we spot on our way to and fro and I wash it clean and salt it.. I get a good two bottles of salted mangoes which I intend to use for chutneys and pickles later. 

Next year, the tree has flowered so profusely that it actually looks eerie.  That year, me and my daughter pick so many tiny ones that we have three buckets full.  Not knowing what to do with so much, I call my family friends and three of them agree to take it. That is two bucketfuls gone... With the remaining, I salt it so it will not get spoilt and pickle a fourth of it.. The next process is storing the salted ones for which I select used ice cream boxes, segregate them and pack six boxes and three bottles of pickle to be given away to my parents and sisters when I go to my hometown in a couple of months.. My fridge is in overload but I tell myself they will be happy.. The D day arrives and I give away all the boxes and bottles.. It is used and relished by extended families and goes as far as Dubai.. I am smiling contentedly. 

The third year, the family friends are already enquiring to know if they will get mangoes this year and I reassure them saying i see some flowers and ask them to wait.  After few days I see some mangoes.  But what is this.. I see a JCB which is demolishing the house.  I silently pray to God to let the tree stand.. The house is reduced to rubble in a week.  Every day, I rush out at dawn to see if the mango tree is still there. One day, we are having our afternoon meal when we suddenly hear a loud thud.  We rush outside to see a blinding light.. The mango tree has been felled. We are devastated.  I feel terrible sadness and pain in my heart.  It is not because of the mangoes I didn't have.. It is for a life taken.. I cannot describe the anguish my family feels. We talk about it for many days. My husband goes to the new owner and tells him how we feel and requests him to plant a mango tree after his house is constructed.  He smiles and nods and it gives us some solace. 

The potted mango saplings, that loyally moved with me and remained stunted for long are now three huge fruit-bearing trees in my home garden.