NILAM HAS CLAIMED OUR RASALU

Right from my childhood, I am surrounded by trees.  My Dad built our house in a coconut grove and even after the house was built, we still had trees in our plot.  My parents also planted saplings of mango, sapota, guava, sweet-lime, neem, custard apple, several flower, ornamental and medicinal plants.  Even during peak summer, the temperature at home was a few degrees less than the temperature anywhere else in the city.  Over a period of time, the trees in our garden had grown so big, our house almost disappeared in their canopy and till a few months back, our house was not visible on Google Earth.  All that was seen was a dark patch in a concrete jungle.  But that is history.

Every monsoon, we have been losing trees.  While a few fall down, a few wither away due to water stagnation.  But the space would be soon taken over by another tree and the vacuum never felt.

Of all the trees at home, we were more attached to the mango trees. My Dad along with a neighbour, bought sapling of Rasalu variety from Vijaya Garden and a granduncle got us Hyder variety from a nursery in Kadiyam near Rajamundry.  My maternal uncle, a garden enthusiast, who frequently visited us, had dug a large pit in our garden and advised my parents to dump all the garden and kitchen waste into it, which would in turn become organic manure for our plants.  A mango seed thrown into the pit germinated into the third mango tree, which we named “Natu”. While my neighbour’s tree, which was planted on the very same day we planted ours, started producing fruits, none of our mango trees yielded for a long time, as there were too many trees in our garden and the sunlight was inadequate.  We almost lost the Rasalu, which was planted very close to our house, twice.  Once it dried and then slowly recovered and again during a monsoon, it almost fell down.  But, my Dad managed to lift it and tied it with an iron rod to a coconut tree and placed huge concrete blocks to support it.  Thankfully it survived. After a few years, the mango trees grew larger than the other trees and started yielding. The fruits from the three trees were different from each other in appearance, colour, smell and taste.  While Hyder mango could not be consumed or pickled in its raw form, the ripe fruit was too fibrous and very sweet.  The raw mangoes of Natu were very sweet and could not be used for pickles and the ripe fruit was not very sweet, though the peel looked very bright.  The best of the three was certainly Rasalu.  The baby mangoes, the raw mangoes and the fruits were all very tasty.  Through out summer, we made thokkudu pachadi (raw mango chutney) and mamidikai pappu (mango cooked in lentils) almost everyday and never got bored. The raw mangoes were very sour and we made varieties of pickles that last for the whole year. From mid-May onwards we had fruits.  The mangoes were oval in shape, measuring approximately 15 to 20 cms in size and weighing about half a kilogram.  The uniqueness of this fruit is that, when it ripens, it becomes juicy and pulpy and can never be cut or scooped.  Rasam means juice in Telugu and thus the variety has got its name based on this trait.

We distributed the raw mangoes to many relatives and Telugu speaking families in Chennai, who love to make delicious pickles with them.  Almost all our friends, relatives, colleagues, neighbours, maids and drivers working in the neighbourhood, hawkers and morning walkers passing through our street have all tasted our fruits.  My parents, particularly my Dad became very active during summer and enjoyed distributing mangoes.  He did it with the same passion he hand-plucked the mangoes.  Plucking and ripening mangoes needs lot of effort and expertise. My Dad indigenously made a special tool for plucking the mangoes.  He bought a long bamboo stick and tied an iron ring with a rice bag and a small knife. He reached the mangoes with the stick and when he cut the mangoes, they fell into the bag.  This was borrowed by our neighbours who also had mango trees in their garden.   My Dad once fell down while plucking mangoes and fractured his ribs.  Every season, he hurt himself in some form or the other.

In the last one year, we have been contemplating remodeling/developing the property and soon after the discussions started; Hyder fell down without any stimulus.  We had no option, but to axe it. Then we had to remove Natu, as we started construction on that side.  Though neighbours were sad that we were cutting down trees, they were all happy that we still had Rasalu in our garden.

My parents in fact wanted Rasalu also to be cut while we were axing down the other trees.  Though the reason they told us was that the tree was dangerously close to our old house, they had other reasons too.  My Dad was sad that none of us (my siblings and I) are capable of climbing trees and plucking mangoes. He didn’t like hiring “professionals” who are unprofessional in their work.  We in fact have only one guy in our locality, who knows to climb trees and pluck coconuts and mangoes.  He not only charges exorbitantly, but also demands that we share half the harvest with him.  He is not available when we need, but lands at our place when it is convenient for him.  He does not handle the mangoes carefully and drops many of them.  Such damaged mangoes are not suitable either for pickling or for ripening.  My Dad hates him literally and never likes to hire him.  He was worried that after him, we would end up hiring such “unprofessional” guys.  My Dad always plucked mangoes in a phased manner which ensured that there were fruits available through out the season. 

My mother had other worries.  She thought that, the mango trees would become a security problem, when they become too old or after them. She had read in newspaper of thieves stealing mangoes from the homes of aged couples.  She did not want to get into such a helpless situation.  It is a fact that some mischievous guys throw stones at the trees during the season. 

While my siblings left the decision of cutting trees to my parents, I opposed.  I tried to convince them that several squirrels, parrots, bats, insects, sparrows, cuckoos and crows depended on these trees and many relished eating the organically grown and ripened fruits.  But they were too scared and not convinced.  They were afraid that the tree would fall on the house and damage it.  I managed to convince my brother, who after a through inspection and in consultation with a civil engineer, requested my parents not to axe the tree. 

My parents agreed, but I think like pets, plants and trees too understand the moods and intentions of their masters.  On 31^st October 2012, cyclonic storm Nilam uprooted our Rasalu at around 7.15 p.m.  It was very miraculous.  The 65 feet tall tree, I don’t know how much it weighed, uprooted and fell on the road causing very little damage to our property.  The damage would have been immense, if it had fallen on our house, or on the studio behind, or on the house being constructed by my brother, but it had fallen in a totally safe side, crossing our compound, snapping electrical and telephone cables, and landing on a sapota tree in my neighbour’s garden.  There was no electrical supply and no vehicles parked on that stretch and the road was deserted.  Surprisingly, there was no noise as well 

The Police, the Chennai Corporation and the Electricity Department officials acted immediately and helped.  Within seconds of the tree falling down, all my neighbours landed with knives, axes and sickles and cleared way for walking.  Literally, every household had used mango leaves from our garden for their housewarming and every person had eaten our fruits.  

 

Though vehicular traffic and power were interrupted for more than 24 hours, nobody complained or even frowned; may be because of my Dad’s PR or because of their gratitude towards the tree.  Many in fact congratulated my parents for the safe tree fall! 

It’s gone, gone for ever.  Life will never be the same again. Our entire locality is mourning the loss.  My little nephew unable to see us sad has promised to buy an orchard when he grows up!

My parents are relieved. And all of us have started dreaming and planning to utilize the space.  I was very tempted to call my cousin in Rajamundry and request him to send a sapling of Rasalu, but my parents don’t want it after seeing my brothers' struggle to get the tree removed. “No more mango trees” is the pledge now. I have managed to collect a seedling from the dry leaves under the tree and planted in a corner, much against their wishes.    My sister is determined to keep the tree short and not let it grow more than five feet.  Even if it is allowed to grow, it will not yield the same quality fruits as mangoes are mono-embryonic and can be propagated only by grafting. 

Coincidentally, Nilam is another variety of mangoes!