It’s all about fruits in the lives of villagers in the remote southern belts of Odisha. While trudging through the forested landscape and dusty lanes, one comes across villages after villages named after the ubiquitous mangoes, jackfruits and tamarinds.
The villages not only take their names from these fruits, the people also meet their dietary requirement by consuming them in large volume. Names of villages either start with Amba, the Odia name of mango, or ends with it.
Naming of villages such as Mantriamba, Machiamba, Hatiamba (Guma), Kankadamba, Ambaguda, Jadamba and Ambapada have been influenced by mango use in Malkangiri district. “We have at least 30 to 40 villages named after mango alone in Malkangiri district,” said Dambaru Sisa, a former MLA and an author.
In neighbouring districts such as Koraput, Rayagada and Nabarangpur, dozens of villages have been either been prefixed or suffixed with Amba. Doliamba in Koraput, Ambadola in Rayagada and Ambapani Ghat in Nabarangpur are some common places. Bhalumaska is a popular railway station in Rayagada. Tribal groups also call the Mango as Maska.
“Our ancestors were confined to a small region with limited access to lexicon. As the mangoes were abundantly available and the fruit was among a few staple foods, villages were invariably named after mangoes,” said Mr. Sisa, who belonged to Bonda, a particularly vulnerable tribal group.
“Mango is a popular fruit having its usage in different rituals. The Chaitra Festival is also known as Mango Festival. It is believed people don’t start eating mangoes in a new season without performing special rituals. Even branches and leaves of mango trees are required in different rituals performed all through the year,” he said.
Achyut Das, a leading activist who works in tribal areas of Rayagada, said, “mango has been an important part of tribals’ food basket. Mangoes have long been a fallback option for locals during season when food scarcity was experienced the most.”
Researchers on tribals said people don’t let any part of the fruit go waste. Tribes, especially in southern Odisha, over the centuries have innovated unique processing techniques to ensure mangoes are fully used – for consumption as well as sale.
“Apart from usual consumption of mangoes, tribals process mangoes for use as Champeita (mango skin prickle), Ambasadha (Aam papad made of pulps) and kernel powder. The hardened kernel part is allowed to decompose into manure,” said Dwiti Chandra Sahu, a teacher who studies tribal life in Rayagada district.
According to Orissa University of Agriculture Technology and Krishi Vigyan Kendra, Malkangiri, mango kernel is most nutritious part of the fruit.
However, if the storage and processing of mango kernel go wrong, it becomes fatal. More than 20 people had died consuming mango kernel in Rayagada district in early 2000.
It is not mango alone that influences naming of villages. Many villages in four southern Odisha districts such as Koraput, Malkangiri, Rayagada and Nabarangpur have been name after jackfruits (local name panas) and tamarind (Tentuli).
Villages such as Panaspadar, Panaspada, Panasput and Panasguda have been derived from jackfruit while name of Tentulipadar, Tentulikhunti, and Tentuliguda villages had its origin from tamarind.
