An ode to Jaishtha

On any given Jaishtha or high summer day, fruit vendors ply the streets of the city selling delicious seasonal fruits. Jaishtha -- the second month of the Bangla calendar, is also called "mishtimash" or "madhumash" because of the wide array of fruits available during this time. It is as if the season compensates for the discomfort of the hot and humid climate with the sweetness of deshi fruits.

The season's first harvest of mangoes, jaam, jamruls, and litchis have already made their "red carpet" appearances in bazaars, roadside vans, and super shops. The creamy bites of ripe jackfruit, citrusy kagoji lebu or limes, various kinds of melons boasting a triad of flavour like our patenga watermelons and muskmelons or banggi, and other seasonal deshi fruits are all making their short seasonal rounds.

Fruit vendors are seen at the turn of every lane, their dexterous hands cutting juicy pineapples. The small pieces, mixed with some rock salt and kasundi, makean unmatched treat!

"This is a seasonal business for me," says Abdul Mutalib, a vendor seen selling a van full of pineapples in Kakrail. A rickshaw puller by profession, Mutalib has amassed a small amount which he chose to invest in the trade.

"I hope to earn significantly more by selling fruits this summer. Besides, I get to avoid pulling rickshaws in the summer heat," he says. When asked what he will do when the season is over, he said "I really do not know!" with a smile. "Pull rickshaws maybe."

Mangoes may be the most craved fruit of the season but taal (toddy palms or ice apples) are not lagging either. The jelly-like flesh of raw taal is scooped out and as one bites onto them, the fruit spritzes out a sugary sap that takes down a few degrees off your body temperature, it seems. Rich in antioxidants, this pulp makes its way to our city kitchens and is used to prepare various desserts.

When fully ripe, raw taal transforms into a fruit with a pulp that has a slight hint of bitterness to its otherwise sugary, dense edible mash. Dollops of crude, palm-sugar jaggery rolled in flour tortillas is the best breakfast of summer mornings! Palm rice flour fritters are as easy to make as banana fritters and can be munched hot from the wok. Coolers like a glass of ice apple sherbet and a spoonful of palm rice pudding are what summer vacations were made of at grandparents' home.

Supriya Das, a resident of Shantinagar, looks forward to the season for a special reason. "We have an age-old ritual of treating our sons-in-law with the most delectable fruits," says Das. The traditional Hindu ritual, Jamai Sasthi, ends with an elaborate Bengali feast which will be celebrated on June 8.

"There was a time when I used to buy fruits from the local bazaars and street vendors. Now, everything has become easier due to Facebook and I order directly from the traders of Rajshahi. The fruits get delivered to my daughter's in-laws in cane baskets. It's a hassle-free arrangement for me," Das adds.

The mango dealers of Chapainawabganj have adjusted to the needs of the time, and rather than relying on vendors in Dhaka, have set up seasonal, online businesses selling mangoes directly. They make promises of delivering only the best from the harvest.

And, this is just the beginning. Soon makeshift stalls on footpaths will start dealing in mangoes -- "chemical free and fresh from the gardens". Whether they sell the real stuff or is this just another gimmick, one cannot say with certainty.

Mangoes, litchis, jaams -- we all have our personal favourites. There was a time when people used to visit their ancestral homes to get a taste of the delectable fruits of the seasons, straight from the trees. People used to bring fruits like mangoes in sacks as they returned to the city.

Those days seem to be gone now. Our lives are now seemingly easier, and experiencing the proverbial "Mamar Bari" is now only a poem found in school textbooks!