Lest the mango season goes away, lovers of the King of Fruits have a chance to indulge yet again. The 22nd Mango Festival, on at Dilli Haat, Pitampura, till this Sunday, and organised by Delhi Tourism and the Government of NCT of Delhi, claims to be this summer's ‘juiciest event'.
The organising committee believes visitors will get a real ‘slice' of an experience during the three-day festival. With attractions like 500 different varieties of mangoes — including dussehri, langda, chausa, mallika, rastaul, ramkela, fazli and many, many others, which will be both on display and for sale — there will be a lot more for visitors. A magic show, a hasya performance, panna-tasting and demonstration and many other things are to watch out for, too. Raj Kumar Sharma, manager of Dilli Haat (Pitampura), adds, “There will be a mango-eating competition that we keep organising on a regular basis. A total of 11 government organisations and eight private nurseries will be a part of it.”
But then, why just three days? Mango lovers would surely want to ask that! Sharma explains, “We kept in mind that the three days fall over a weekend and, hence, more people can visit and appreciate it.” Also, the festival might just boost the footfall tremendously at Dilli Haat, Pitampura, which opened a couple of years ago.
Imagine the whole Saharanpur belt, Malihabad, Lucknow and places in Bihar being represented at the festival and the sweet aroma of the delicious fruit all over the place along with different types of pickles available too. However, given the high temperatures the Capital has been experiencing, the mangoes need to be stored well during the festival. Facilities like an air-conditioned hall have proved indispensable for occasions like these.
However, the Dilli Haat at INA is not hosting any such festival because of “lack of space”, as Sharma puts it, and also because there is no such air-conditioned hall for the purpose.
What better way of bidding the season of the mangoes goodbye! And, with ample reasons to celebrate the festival, it's time to enjoy and indulge. Or is it ‘Aam-dulge'?
