New Delhi   

Celebrating the ‘badshaah’ of fruits

Staff Reporter

Two-day annual Mango Festival concludes

Photo: Sushil Kumar Verma

Visitors admiring skills of the contestants of a culinary competition held on the last day of the 19th Mango Festival organised by Delhi Tourism Development Corporation in New Delhi on Sunday.

NEW DELHI: Showcasing over 500 uncommon as well as commercially popular varieties of mangoes, the two-day mango festival organised by Delhi Tourism in association with Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA) and Dabur ended at Talkatora Stadium here on Sunday.

The concluding day of the 19th Annual Mango Festival featured a magic show, mango eating competition for men and a cultural programme by artistes of the Punjabi Academy. A function was also held in the evening where prizes were awarded to winners of the various competitive categories.

In the mango eating competition for men and women, the first prize carried a cash component of Rs.3,000 and the second prize of Rs.2,000. In the women’s category Anita Chowdhary won the first prize for eating 1.392 kg of mango pulp and Asha Sood who managed to eat 1.298 kg of mango pulp bagged the second prize.

The mango eating competition for men that was held on Sunday saw a more competitive fight.

Shabil Khan won the first prize for eating 1.626 kg of mango pulp and the second prize was bagged by Deepak Grover who ate1.572 kg of mango pulp. In the culinary contest Le Meridien Hotel won the first prize by bagging the gold medal.

The National Horticulture Board which supported this event also organised the “Mango Quiz Contest” and “Mango Slogan Writing Competition”.

As part of the festival, Delhiites got an opportunity to enjoy some of the juiciest and most exotic mango varieties from across the country. However, the cynosures of all eyes were mangoes which had the camouflaged look of other fruits like banana, guava, and watermelon but still retained the intrinsic taste of a mango.

Apart from the opportunity to view and savour the varieties of mangoes, the festival also offered a package deal of fun for adults and children. Culinary demonstration by Indian culinary forum, quiz and a colourful programme sponsored by the Urdu Academy and Punjabi Academy provided the much-needed fun atmosphere.

The king of fruits is fast expanding its base in foreign shores as well. According to the organisers of the festival, mango exports have seen a 40 per cent increase compared with last year.

Mangoes are much in demand in countries like Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Singapore, Malaysia, Japan and the United States.

Printer friendly page  
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Stories in this Section

‘Jockeying’ the radio alive
Blueline bus claims yet another life
19 feared dead in flood incidents
Plan to seek CBI probe into DVB privatisation
Meeting postponed
Medical students to oppose proposed move for extra year
Workshop inaugurated
‘Check obesity’
Rhythm and grace
Jamia introduces new MA course
IGNOU to popularise science
Call for hunger strike
MLAs can vote in other State Capitals
Delhi High Court to have creche
Page 6
Three auto-thieves arrested
‘Criminal’ nabbed
Old woman run over by car
In the Capital today
Four arrested with liquor
Teenager held with ganja
People hail laurel for Taj Mahal
Out in the sun
Celebrating the ‘badshaah’ of fruits
Foot over-bridge escalators to start by July-end

Copyright © 2007, The Hindu. Republication or redissemination of the contents of this screen are expressly prohibited without the written consent of The Hindu