Among the many social fault lines that the pandemic has thrown up are the inequalities in education. While privileged kids can stay safe in their homes and learn online, the underprivileged cannot. However, some very expensive mangoes managed to change at least one of those stories. And have you heard about the most expensive Japanese mango that is now being grown in India?
11-year-old Tulsi Kumari from Jharkhand was selling mangoes by the road when she should have been in school. She would have been in class except that there was no smartphone to attend online classes. Luckily for Tulsi, Ameya Hete, a businessman from Mumbai decided to buy her mangoes. He decided to pay Rs. 10K for each mango; or Rs. 1.2 lakh for a dozen mangoes. A Rs. 13k smartphone and a year’s recharge from Hete, means that Tulsi can now continue her education.
Tulsi’s mother is happy that her daughter is no longer compelled to sell mangoes by the roadside and her father is happy that his hardworking daughter will be able to study and hopefully change her future. Hete, transferred the promised amount to the father’s account, according to a News18 report – he would have the satisfaction of knowing that he had a life-altering impact on the life of a young girl and her family.
Move over Alphonso, Kesar, Dhasheri etc. Miyazaki mangoes are supposed to be the most expensive mangoes in the world and could cost as much as Rs. 2.7 lakhs for an elaborate box continuing just two of these mangoes. This mango is supposed to have been cultivated first in Japan but is also now grown in India, Bangladesh, the Philippines and Thailand. Long hours of sunshine and warm weather are required for this variety of mango to the grown (so basically most of India is favourable for cultivation). The mango type has another fanciful name – eggs of sunshine because of its distinctive reddish colour. It is extremely sweet and the flesh of the fruit is of a melt-in-the-mouth consistency. The skin is edible too
This mango variety is grown in India as well, in one case by accident. Sankalp and Rani Parihar are a couple in MP’s Jabalpur area, who were amazed to discover the worth of the mangoes they were growing. Apparently, someone on a train gave them saplings and they grew the mangoes. The Parihars were offered Rs. 21K for one kg of the fruit! They had been growing the mangoes that looked quite different but had no idea about how coveted the fruit is. After this story became widely known there were thieves who tried to steal the mangoes and the couple has had to appoint security guards for their orchard now. A lot of trouble for mangoes, it would seem. I think I'm happy with my Dussheri – Miyazaki mangoes are clearly out of my league.
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