The Gandhi Park in the city will once again bask in the golden glory of mangoes with the 24th Calicut Mango Festival organised by the Calicut Agri-Horticultural Society beginning on Thursday.
The festival is an exhibition-cum-sale of around 100 varieties of mangoes from various parts of the country.
Varieties of the fruit
A major aim of the festival is to acquaint common people with the genuine mango varieties.
The festival will feature the well-known varieties such as Alphonso, Khudadath, Banganappalli, Malgova and Chakkarakkutti, the diabetic-friendly Bangalora (Thothapuri) and Priyor, the colourful Suvarnarekha, Bennett Alphonso, the one’s used in most mango recipes such as Chandrakaran, Guava Mango and Ammini.
The mangoes named after Mughal emperors such as Jahangir, Himayudeen, Himapasanth and Banishan besides hybrid varieties such as H4, H44 and H151 will also be showcased. The mangoes are all brought from the district horticultural farm in Thaliparamba, Kannur.
A major highlight of the week-long festival is the annual mango eating competition which will be held at 4 p.m. on April 30. Fresh mango juice and mango ice-cream will be available at the festival venue. There will also be exhibition and sale of various saplings and seeds.
The organisers claim that the mangoes have been ripened without using any chemicals. The festival that concludes on May 3 will be open from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. on all days.
