Mumbai, known for its glitz, glamour, and hustle, harbors a lesser-known passion: an intense love for mangoes, specifically the Hapus variety. As summer arrives, the city transforms from Amchi Mumbai into Ambachi Nagri, with residents proudly carrying mango boxes on buses, trains, and even at the airport. Every other person on the street flaunts a box of mangoes, balancing them nonchalantly amidst the crowds.
Hapus Dominates Menus Across the City
In both homes and restaurants, the mango takes center stage. Aamras and poori become a rite of passage during the mango season. Iconic Thali restaurants offering unlimited servings of this delicacy see throngs of customers. Homes turn into small-scale aamras production units, with many families carefully deep-freezing the pulp to enjoy throughout the year.
Mangoes as a Love Language
Sending aamras and mangoes to friends and family has become the love language of Mumbai. Residents have perfected the supply chain to ensure that loved ones in distant cities or countries receive the seasonal flavor. No matter the destination, a box of mangoes is shipped smoothly, connecting Mumbaikars with their roots.
The Sweet Affliction of Hapus
According to the article by Smita Vats Sharma, the obsession with Hapus creeps over residents slowly. It begins with observation, progresses to obsessing over the arrival of the mangoes, and culminates in finding a source straight from Konkan. This lifelong conversion to a true Mumbaikar enjoying the mango season is then complete.
