A tree grows...

...in the narrow strip of a garden on one side of our NGO. A lone mango tree which every mango season gives ... mangoes!

But it has not been that easy. Our man Friday Hemantada, the self professed mango expert, insists that the tree groaning under the weight of mangoes, are not ready for plucking . All the while, the lucious fruits distract us to madness (and greed).

We do try to sneak at them. However, the wasp's hive on the upper branches, scared us off successfully; Two intrepid staff (young boys both) climbed the tree and did pick a few…[while I panicked on terra firma, should they slip and end up with a fracture or worse, concussion].

Upset with our (mostly mine) constant nagging, he did pick them and kept them in a rather public place for ripening. And in came a bunch of visitors in several cars and their drivers had a merry time helping themselves.

To do away with all that, this year, hemantada quietly plucked away all the mangoes and stashed them away somewhere secret. And what with the endless touring (which has been merciless this few months) and then the rains and the fishes and the khichuri, we forgot about the mangoes.

And then this morning we saw Hemantada coming downstairs with a box...