Amrakhanda

Many many years ago when I was still in school, summer holidays were largely spent at my aaji’s place (maternal grandmother) The colony where my grandma stayed had lots of kids my age, my mother never had to worry about keeping me occupied, there was always something to do – play hide n seek, seven stones (lagauri), roundus, house-house (my favourite as I always invited someone over to eat food), plucking raw mangoes from the neighbour's tree, aimlessly roaming around the colony, going to the polytechnic college ground in the evening, well you get the picture... we very occupied!
The only thing that would take away my attention from this busy schedule was 1) the postman; during our school days he bought in the results which I never really looked forward. I was what you can say a perfectly average student. 2) Big peti’s (boxes) of Alphonso mangoes arriving at home. The mangoes by default were either made into a sinfully delicious mango dessert or more often into aamras. The task of making aamras was left to the elders; we kids played an important role of relishing the mango seed and the skin. {In most of the Indian households, after the mangoes are squeezed of its pulp, the kids are given the seeds and the outer skin as it still had some pulp which could not be squeezed by had to eat/drink/ suck/relish}
Summer holidays were synonymous with mangoes; I cannot think of April and May without thinking of them. Even today when I called back home to wish everyone on the occasion o...