NEXT YEAR OF NO MANGOES

The Jadhavs have shifted to a new neighborhood. Their modest bungalow is supposed to make way for a multilevel apartment. Fortunes have changed overnight for the much deserving Jadhavs. Long live their ambition and long live their prayers for a good life. We are happy for them.

Jadhavs and we have been neighbors for almost twelve years. We saw their son grow up from a toddler to a teenager. Evolution has been an integral part for the Jadhavs, our locality and of course the neighborhood & ties we shared.

As news spread about the Jadhavs planning to make their bungalow available for demolition, real estate developers started queuing up at their doors. The Jadhavs must have rejoiced the opportunity of handpicking a developer, who promised to not only raze their bungalow but also flatten the existing piece of land. Apart from the deals, which were finalized on paper, the Jadhavs seemed to have made another deal. This one turned out to be of lethal nature.

Their property comprises three trees; the mango, the jackfruit and the Indian bael. Of all the trees, the mango tree has been a consistent favorite for many reasons. Year after year, we have consumed these mangoes; sometimes in secret and sometimes with due permission of the Jadhavs. We’ve spent many afternoons, staying sleepless, only to spot a mango drop and hop over it. Never did the mangoes betray our excitement of wanting to consume them more.

But as mentioned above, apart from the deals, which were finalized on paper, the Jadhavs seemed to have made another deal. This one turned out to be of lethal nature. According to this deal, the mango tree has to go and make way for the multilevel apartment. Mowing down of the mango tree means there will be a ‘next year of no mangoes’. In short, we will have to do away with all the emotions, we held for the mango tree.

In this situation, I am reminded of a song sung by Manna Dey in Bengali. In that song, the singer questions – when a human is murdered, the court decides upon a punishment; but when a rose is mutilated, who is supposed to convey the sentence to hold someone responsible. The felling of the mango tree is a depiction of human brutality on nature’s precious gifts.

Not many years back, I remember, Jadhav’s little one Yash coming down to our home and inviting us for a mango buying festival. He had collected all the mangoes, put it in a bamboo basket and was selling them. Every mango turned out to be sweet, juicy and worthy of repeat.

All these memories will remain unchanged. But what will not remain unchanged is the fate of that mango tree. For those, who took up the task of chopping the branches off, tearing the leaves apart and ripping the tree were ruthless in their act.

To conclude, tired people won’t ever get the chance to seek shelter beneath this tree. There will be no tree at all. All the adventures of spotting a mango will also draw to a painful end. As we progress with our life, we will be reminded of a mango tree, which stood here. We will choose to not forget about jackfruit. Maybe we will be reminded about the next year of no mangoes.

-Virtuous Vociferous | June 14 | June Blog-2 | 2018