It's all yellow

Delhi’s Mango lovers can look forward to another fascinating display of the king of fruits — mango, as Delhi Tourism will be hosting the 27th Mango Festival at Dilli Haat, Janakpuri from July 3 to 5. The festival will be inaugurated by Arvind Kejriwal in the august presence of Manish Sisodia, deputy CM, and Kapil Mishra, minister for law, tourism, art, culture and languages and water, Delhi Government. 

In the past few years the festival has become a major cultural event, attracting thousands of visitors. Mango growers across the country including Bihar, Haryana, Punjab, Himachal Pradesh, Uttrakhand and Uttar Pradesh will gather to display the traditional and hybrid varieties of mangoes. These traditional growers have attained expertise over generations excelling in research and propagation of this fruit. 

The various kind of mangoes will include langra, chausa, rataul, hussainara, ramkela, kesar, fazri, mallika, and amrapali among other assorted varieties. In all, 500 varieties of mangoes will be displayed for visitors to buy and taste.

The fruit is believed to be indigenous to the Indian sub continent and is as old as the land itself. There are more than 1365 varieties of mangoes all over the world, and in India about 1,000 varieties are available. If you want to have a look at a mango, which is as small as a grape or as big as a papaya, the festival is the place to be in.

There are about 13 farmers and nine government institutions participating. Major participating farmers are Tariq Mustafa from Mustafa Orchards, Abdul Samad, Ali Mia Jhinjhana, Mohammad Hanif, Tafzeel Ahmad and many more. Apart from this, government institutions like Rajya Krishi Utpadan Mandi Parishad, UP; UPICAR — Indian Agricultural Research Institute, New Delhi; Directorate of Horticulture and Food Processing, UP; Bihar Agricultural University, and Mother Dairy, New Delhi are also taking part in the festival.

Besides providing an opportunity for visitors to savor the mangoes, the festival will also offer a package deal of fun and frolic for both children and family members.