Wednesday, June 18, 2014

Lalbagh Mango Mela on Father's Day

We made this father’s day memorable by taking a trip to famous Mango and Jackfruit mela (fair) at the Lalbagh botanical garden, Bangalore. My morning started with big hug from my daughter accompanied with a self-decorated card and a nice little golden flower made out of throw-away plastic bottle.

Happy I was, indeed!

There had been a failed effort to visit the mela made about 2 weeks back, and this time, we set out again to cover the occasion before it came to a close by the last weekend.

We took a conscious decision not to deviate from our single minded focus on the Mango mela. In fact, we even did not go to the flower gardens.  The mela, itself was a unique experience of a lifetime. The sweet aroma from different kind of mangoes piled high across the walkways beckoned us in their midst. Each had its own beautiful shape and size to boast of, and was ornamented with green, red, yellow patches, being at different stages of ripeness. Above all, it was the lure of the heady aroma wafting in the atmosphere – caressed by the mild sunrays, comforted by the lyrical music of the cool breeze, in the midst of dancing light and shadows.


The area near the famous glass house wore a joyful look with shops in two lines putting up colorful banners and a large gate welcoming one and all. People of different ages with colorful dresses thronged the place like any other festive season. Talking about the festive season, lots of people like us long for this time – the summer and monsoon, only to welcome the king of fruits- the mangoes.

Once soaked into all that was happening around, we got into visiting all the shops from one end to the other  - satisfying our palates with the small bites, before getting down to the serious business of negotiation and purchase. After getting a hang of the relative pricing (though there was not much of a variation between the competing neighbors) , one or two kgs of each type were making their way into our large enough cloth bag (environment conscious, huh!) . As it was really getting difficult to resist the temptation of buying more, we ended up with a huge quantity and planned to share the divine fruit amongst friends and families who could not make it there.

It was an enjoyable family outing after quite some time, specifically since we had spent the last few months dealing with medical emergencies; it was a welcome break. On our way back from the mela, to wrap up the outing, we did manage to take a quick climb up and down the hill top and a quick tour in the bonsai garden nearby. Every time we see these wonders, it makes me revere nature as a creator of innumerable varieties.

I recommend everyone in Bangalore to plan few hours during the mela, the next time around… and am sure you will not be disheartened. 

23 comments:

  1. Hi, I enjoyed reading your blogs, esp cos its abt Banglore :( miss it so much
    Following your blog :)
    http://www.ananyatales.com/

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  2. Ah sounds yummy. I love both the fruits! And to have a Mela for these fruits would be a paradise. How come you did not pick up any jackfruit?
    Thanks for sharing :)

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    1. Hi Vinodini, We did pick up one jackfruit as well :-). Thanks for visiting.

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  3. Wow , mouthwatering yummy mangoes! So tempting. I think there is nobody who does'nt like mangoes. A great outing on father's day.

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  4. Jayanta, beautiful account and Bangalore has so many heavenly places to lure us. Beautiful pics and Father's Day to relish for years to come:)

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  5. That must have been a real treat! Approximately how many varieties of mangoes were on display?

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  6. Sounds like a lovely (and tasty) outing! Thanks for sharing your experience.

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  7. Wow, the mango festival...I can imagine the aroma that filled the air. I loved the picture of the bonsai that you put there...very pretty!

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  8. When we visited Lalbagh last month, the Mela was in full swing, Jayanta. Glad you got to visit it on your special day. Just a visit to Lalbagh alone is soul-food. Wonder which part of Bangalore you live in.

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  9. Last month, when we visited Lalbagh, the Mango Mela was in full swing. So many mango varieties! Glad you got to visit it on your special day, Jayanta! Lalbagh is always a pleasure to visit.

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  10. such a sweet gesture from your lovely daughter!! :)
    The Mango mela has always been a yumm experience in my opinion! I'm glad you enjoyed it! :)

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  11. I wish I could attend the Mango mela, I adore mangoes and am eating one as I write this comment :) The Bonsai plants look so magical, great post. Hope you all are in the pink of health now, take care.

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  12. So many mangoes wow.. that's delightful. I loved the bonsai.

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  13. wowowo.. I would have loved to be there for sure .. havenot had a mangoe properly for YEARSssssssssssssssss now .. the last i had was when i came to india in 2005 and my cousin had a TOKRI full of them at the airport and while driving to my city i had so many of them that it made me sick :)

    here we get but too expensive , I surly cant afford a TOKRI full of them


    the bonsai trees are lovely too.

    Bikram

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  14. I love mangoes and if I were there, I would have bought lots too! The bonsai mango trees are wonderful. Thanks for taking us a virtual trip to this yummy mela :)

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  15. Mango and Jack-fruit fair ! I love both the fruits..especially mango..In Bengal we've a special kind of mango known as " lyangda " ...it tastes heavenly... :-D

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  16. Wow, it sounds interesting to visit Mango and Jack-fruit Mela :) Great

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  17. It was good to read about the mango mela and how it had been a welcome break for you and your family. :)

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  18. I am so happy to hear that you had such a lovely Father's Day !

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  19. I love mangoes. Here in this dry hot Arab land, I’m devouring Badamis and Alphonsoes :)
    I wish I could drink in the aroma at the Mela too !
    Jackfruits……. aah !!
    Back home in Kerala, almost all homes with a little soil in the backyard have jackfruit trees, and come April, the air is filled with the smell of ripe jackfruits :)
    It is a feast for squirrels and birds alike :D
    Nostalgia….sigh !!

    A warm post…… Happy that you enjoyed Your day :)

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  20. Very nice. I love Mango. I would definitely love to visit this place during Mango Mela. Check out timings, entry fee, best time to visit, all details of Lal Bagh Botanical Garden also.

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