“Kis kis ne ped se aam tod kar khaya hai?” Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta’s nostalgia-inducing question had mango lovers raising their hands in excitement on Day 1 of the three-day 34th Aam Mahotsav, hosted by Delhi Tourism at the Thyagaraj Stadium. Over 400 mango varieties on display, including quirky ones like shakkar cheeni, gulab jamun and chum chum, filled the venue with a sweet aroma.
The CM was particularly surprised to see a variety which resembled litchi.
The CM was particularly surprised to see a variety which resembled litchi. “Woh bachpan ki yaadien aur garmi ki chhuttiyaan… woh nani ghar jaana, aur ek bade se pateele mein saare aam paani mein bhigo kar, ikhatthe baith kar khana, ya phir mango shake peena… Aam mein woh swaad hai jo jeevan ko rason se bhar deta hai. Aam humari sanskriti ka woh hissa hai jisko hum sabne behad pyaar se jiya hai. I am very happy to be here.” A mini mango orchard and aam mascot were special attractions this year.
With mangoes in one hand, a visitor is all smiles as she clicks a selfie at the festival
Several regular attendees arrived at the annual mango celebration. Atul Jain, a regular, said, “I have been attending the festival for 12 years. Mujhe jitni jaankari mangoes ki hai, woh yahin se mili hai. I am always curious to taste varieties that are not found in Delhi markets. I have brought varieties including mallika, golden and haafiz varieties.”
Thousands of mango lovers enjoyed during the three-day fest
Another visitor, Prashasti, said, “The variety of mangoes will leave you confused. I usually eat a dasheri or sindoori, but I chose to buy gulab-khas and amrapali, which we don’t usually get in Delhi.”“Aam phalon ka raja hota hai, aur aam mahotsav ke iss edition mein humne uske scale ko dikhane ki koshish ki hai. This annual festival is a great tool to educate children about mango varieties, for people to rejoice mangoes and also enjoy a family outing,” Niharika Rai, MD and CEO, Delhi Tourism saidDiversity on displayWhile a few varieties resembled flavour profiles of other fruits like banana and strawberry, some mango varieties that drew the attention of visitors were named after animals like nagin, machhali and gajraj goal, and a few resembled apples, peaches and bitter gourd in appearance.
Delhi’s Tourism Minister Kapil Mishra and Delhi Tourism MD & CEO Niharika Rai
Delhi Tourism Minister Kapil Mishra said the Delhi government specially invited mango growers from across the country and provided them a platform for sale
Top selling mango varieties at the fest were mallika, amrapali, surkha, malai kesar and deenga
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