It was a kind summer, I say kind because the last few summers have become unbearable. Born and raised in Chennai, Summer is a lot more than a season; it is an emotion, a state of being. While parts of the world go around obsessing about summer bodies, summers in Chennai deserve its own anthology. Summers mean school holidays, lazy mornings or super early ones depending on your preference, running to the beach any opportunity you get, or create opportunities to definitely go to the beach at an hour where you won’t get burnt to a crisp. Summers mean countless cold drinks drank( which will be followed by some preventive medicine because you don’t want to fall sick in this weather), gulping ice creams & ice lollies are a daily ritual. Fresh watermelon juice must be had and there is no summer if you haven’t had a Mango.

Yes, Mango, that king of fruits. I strongly believe that there is no other fruit that does this magic on our palette like a Mango. Imagine tasting that juicy fruit during the peak of summer and you can feel or sense nothing else. As you bite into that magical fruit, all your worries disappear, the heat doesn’t bother you anymore and all you can register is the fabulous flavour of the divine fruit you are devouring. Going back to my story, it was a beautiful summer of my childhood, I was definitely a teenager but my innocence was still intact and I still saw the world through peachy eyes. My older cousin had come over for the holidays and I remember us walking upto the terrace, it was a sight I will never forget. Our Mango tree ( it was a shared tree, owned by our house-owner & shared by us) was brimming with mangoes. As children we are petty, my cousin and I plucked as many as our teenage hands could muster and I remember using my skirt as a storage bag ( i never wore that skirt again thanks to the hundred stains I’d gotten on it that day) and we slowly but steadily made our way to a corner of the staircase that had adequate shade. Our gluttony started with 2 mangoes each and in about an hour’s time, we had gobbled the whole lot.

You don’t have to imagine what happened next, both of us ran home clutching our stomachs in pain. Life lessons were learnt as a child, too much of anything is unhealthy. Both of us had fallen sick and hadn’t touched a mango for the rest of the summer. Looking back it all seems so silly and funny but it truly was an unforgettable summer and those mangoes truly are the best i’ve ever had. As an adult now, my taste has refined. I am very picky about the variety of Mangoes I eat. Banganapalli is what I live for, Alphonso is alright sometimes and the rare Kesar. If you are not craving a Mango already then something is seriously wrong with taste buds. The Aha Bazaar team has specially curated farm grown Mangoes for your pleasure in the UK. Fresh Banganapalli, Alphonso & Kesar ready to reach you at the comfort of your homes, place your orders soon, you don’t want to miss them this Summer.