Mangaluru, Mar 24: It was yet another busy weekend at Pilikula Nisargadhama as scores of fruit lovers thronged to witness the grand Vasanthotsava.
A wide variety of products were available at the Vasantotsava. This is the second successive Sunday that the Nisargdhama authorities organised an event that attracted good number of people. Last Sunday it was the Fish Carnival.
Visitors tasted jackfruit and eatables prepared out of it in some stalls while mangoes, cashew, tender coconut were available for purchase in plenty. Not to be left out were stalls selling the rare “Bamboo rice”, Lavancha roots, chocolates and Kokum juice.
What stole the show was a giant guava, weighing about 1kg - something you wouldn't get in a regular fruit shop. And this guava comes from the plantation of Ravishankar from Manjeshwar. "This variety of guava takes at least six months to get its shape and size and is difficult to be grown commercially," said Ravishankar.
Many had come with their children to witness this exotic display of fruits. A case in point is Suraksha, a class 1 student, who was excited to see the stunning display of her favourite fruits - bananas and papayas. Meanwhile, Dhiren, a little boy, who was accompanied by his father, was brimming with joy when he held a jackfruit with his wee little hands.
A tapioca weighing 5.3 kg too grabbed many eyeballs. This was surprisingly grown in the terrace garden of Krishnappa Gowda, a resident of Maroli. It took him nearly a year to grow this root tuber.
The crowd also gathered around certain rare varieties. There was a ginger that tasted like mango. Several leaves were sold to make chutneys. The more exotic varieties comprised bamboo rice gathered from bamboo shoots that flower once every 60 years.
Byproducts of jackfruits sold like hot cakes. There were jackfruit gatti, payasam, and chips, and connoisseurs had a hard time figuring out what to eat. D C Chowta, member of the governing council of Pilikula Nisargadhama and a progressive farmer, was also present. "This is a unique opportunity to identify the rare forest produce that is on the verge of distinction," he said, adding that the presence of farmers, especially those who practice organic farming, at this event, is a positive sign for the agriculture sector. Even the city residents have responded to the event, he noted.
Karnataka Fisheries Development Corporation too was present at the venue. They sold variety of fishes, prawns, and crabs. V K Shetty, managing director, KFDC, said the corporation had netted sales worth Rs 1.2 lakh at the Mathsyotava held at Pilikula last Sunday. Mellifluous songs highlighting the virtues of spring season, songs by students of creative teacher Gopadkar, urging people to favour the tender coconut over aerated drinks too added to the spirit of the fruit fest.
For Mangaluru City South MLA J R Lobo, the first executive director of Pilikula Nisargadhama, the fact that his 'baby' had grown up and is now the beehive of activities, made him happy. "I am feeling like a proud father," he said.
"More than 25000 people visited today's Pilikula Vasanthotsava. People also demanded similar programmes such as this in future too," said S A Prabhakar Sharma, the executive director of Pilikula.
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