The secret language of Chapai's mangoes

The approach of the monsoon brings the mango season into full swing; and the mangoes arrive with their own vocabulary of familiar and rare words, especially in Chapainawabganj. Hear a Chapai farmer chatting about 'chhucha' and he might not be referring to the earth-digging animal, the mole. Chhucha is one of around 350 varieties of mangoes traditionally grown in the district's orchards.

Of many names have we commonly heard: gopalbhog, langra, fazli, khirsapat which also called himsagor. The leading varieties that have long monopolised markets are known to even a half-serious mango connoisseur. But there are others, with some mango varieties at risk of extinction.

"People call them chhucha for their long shape, like a mole," says Alfazuddin, an orchardist from Bhato Tola in Chhatrajitpur union of Shibganj upazila. He has one chhucha mango tree. "It ripens late in the season," he says, "The fruit is a greenish and tasty."

Boglaguti is renowned for its large size and smell, in taste similar to the khirsapat. Mishrikant, sofeda and golapba mangoes are famously sweet. "Varieties like the mishrikant and sofeda have a beautiful scent," says orchardist Abdul Matin of Housenagar village.

Other exotic varieties available in Chapainawabganj include the paharibhog, misrikaya, khirpuri, darikabhog, jalibandha, boishakhi, kohitur, kazipasand kua pahari, dudhsar, arhiya and kumrajali. Some varieties are sweet while others are sour; each has its own shape, colour, taste and smell. All are mango varieties found only rarely in Dhaka or other parts of the country.

"I have at least fifty mango varieties in my orchard," says Noimul Bari of Chatra village in Shibganj upazila. "My father planted most of them about seventy years ago." Noimul has made efforts to collect rare mango varieties to add to the collection started by his father.

"More than 100 varieties are under threat of extinction," he says, "because commercial growers tend to rely on the few species with higher yields and greater demand in the market."

The senior scientific officer of Chapainawabganj regional horticulture research station, Dr Sorofuddin, says many varieties are at risk of extinction, while others are already extinct due to orchardist preferences for just a few key varieties.

According to department of agriculture extension officials, 19 lakh mango trees occupy some 24, 470 hectares of land in the district, with this year's harvest expected to reach 2.5 lakh tonnes of mangoes. It's an increase from last year when 18.5 lakh mango trees were reported district-wide.

Mango production engages a large workforce in Chapainawabganj, from tending the orchards to harvesting and packing; each year's mango season is a hive of activity.

And if one decides to visit Chapainawabganj during the season, it's worth keeping an ear open for that special mango lingo.

If you hear a farmer talking about bou sundori, for example, which sounds a bit like a beautiful wife, he's probably not referring to an attractive life companion but a big-sized reddish mango.

And, just as in people it holds true that an attractive exterior might not accurately measure the beauty of a personality within, so it goes with this mango too. "People call it bou sundori for its beauty," says Shajahan Ali, an orchardist from Housenagar. "But its taste is not so good!"