The Many Flavors Of A Mango

(MENAFN- Kashmir Observer)
The Many Flavors of a Mango

By Dr Ambreen Hamadani

Mango is a dynamic fruit. It's sweet, juicy, and satisfying to eat. In addition, it also serves as a delicious metaphor. Most people in this part of the world are mangos-not the juicy, golden variety but the shrivelled and dishevelled Aam Aadmi, the Mango Man.
This variety is neither exotic nor rare; in fact, it's the most common one. Most of us belong to this variety of mangoes. Though we are all unique in our own ways, our lives intersect with many experiences and are bittersweet mango shakes.

Ironically, unlike the soft pulpy mango, the life for the mango man is hard-shelled like a walnut with struggles and challenges raining on him like an unending monsoon. The Aam Aadmi or aam avaam (plural) is often condemned to a life of waiting. Long queues are his natural habitat, whether at government offices, ticketing counters, or department stores. He makes up the crowd that goes to picnic on the same Sunday, to the same picnic spot, taking the same route as everyone else. He chooses the same discounted products and stands in the same long queues to pay for them. He pays more if he can a gift on purchases and adds that to the pile of other unused gifts he acquired. He is the primary force that makes products best sellers on Amazon, not trusting anyone personally but trusting the crowd as a whole.
He is also perpetually buried under an avalanche of paperwork-forms, affidavits, and photocopies. He is also running the never-ending marathon and is forever shuttling from table to table to get things done.

Traffic jams are so ingrained in his routine that he wouldn't know what to do with the extra time he would get if they suddenly disappeared. Behind the wheel, he transforms into his most aggressive self, never admitting fault and ensuring his honks are heard.

He is always struggling with the rising prices of essentials like fuel, vegetables, and electricity leaving him juggling budgets. From this, stems his love for discounts and offers which the corporate sector fully understands and exploits.
Therefore, he has earned a birthright – whining and complaining. It's a permanent cultural institution.

The Mango Man is a brand unto himself. He is a living embodiment of resilience and a bundle of contradictions. What if his roof occasionally drips? His chai is strong and aromatic! His two- or three-wheelers help him navigate through the narrowest roads. A limousine would be sliced in half while trying to turn on those curvy streets. He fixes his broken shoes sometimes with glue, but they feel just the same on the road of life. On extraordinary occasions, he treats himself like royalty and that joy lasts a long time. When he cannot travel, he watches movies about far-off places, and when he cannot afford an item, he daydreams about it. He cannot pay for central heating but his kangree keeps him warm all the same even in the bitterest of winters.

When the lights go out and he has nothing left to do, he takes a break and plays candlelight board games. The rollercoaster keeps him alive, and the struggle keeps him active. There is never enough time to brood over the troubles, as he is busy solving new ones knocking at his door. He complains to no one in particular and everyone in general, and he moves on. He can have as much street food as he wants, whenever he wants. He can sit on the dal banks sipping coffee all day if he wants. The fact that nobody cares about the mango man is perhaps the biggest blessing at times.

Every so often, struggles can seem unending. However, after the terrible rain and darkness, the sun peeks through the clouds. Those are the best moments of his life. He lives for those moments, and it turns out they are sufficient to create a fulfilling life! Since everyone eventually ends up in the same place, and no king, no emperor, and no commoner has achieved immortality, all times simply pass. Mango or no mango, life goes on.

• The author is from SKAUST-Kashmir

MENAFN03012025000215011059ID1109053308