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Mango Republic!

April-May 2015, Kolkata: Almost 50 trucks of mangoes carrying 15 tones each arrive Mechua every day.
April-May, Kolkata: Almost 50 trucks of mangoes carrying 15 tones each arrive Mechua every day.

Mango Republic!, photo essay by Prasenjit Dey

[T]he wholesale bazar (market) for fruits and vegetables in Mechua Kolkata is an experience that is really difficult to describe. You make your way through dozens of trucks parked at inches distance from each other.

Hundreds of porters load & unload the cargo of fresh fruits and vegetables from the trucks that arrive here every morning from all over India to be auctioned off right on the spot. Hordes of vendors, auctioneers, buyers and people jostle within the cramped lanes and by lanes of Mechua bazar thus making the entire environment charged up with a different energy altogether.

And come summer the bazar is flooded with the king of fruits…..MANGO !!! all local varieties of mango will hit the market one after the another from April to May.
In a normal season – mango tree bear fruit every alternate year – West Bengal produce between 5.5 – 6 lakh tonnes of the summer delicacy. The state ranks among the country’s top five mango producing states.

April-May 2015, Kolkata : Juicy and sweeter: Workers busy packing mangoes that have arrived from North India, at Mechua – the wholesale fruit market in Kolkata.
Kolkata : Juicy and sweeter: Workers busy packing mangoes that have arrived from North India, at Mechua – the wholesale fruit market in Kolkata.
April-May 2015, Kolkata : Different types of mouth-watering Bengal mango varieties like Himsagar, Laxmanbhog, Langra, Gulabkhas and Fazli are being displayed and sold.
Different types of mouth-watering Bengal mango varieties like Himsagar, Laxmanbhog, Langra, Gulabkhas and Fazli are being displayed and sold.
April-May 2015, Kolkata : Display for sale: Himsagar and Gulabkhas. The two varieties that hit the market early summer.
Display for sale: Himsagar and Gulabkhas. The two varieties that hit the market early summer.
April-May 2015, Kolkata : A vendor with his pick for sale
A vendor with his pick for sale

The city awaits patiently for the first flush of mangoes.

Himsagar being the king of mango varieties grown in the state is the most loved one. It becomes available between 1st week of May to end of June, with its unmistakable golden hue, complete absence of fibre and unparalleled sweetness with a pleasant aroma.
Marching just behind Himsagar will be Gulabkhas , Dasheri , Laxmanbhog, Langra, Chausa, Begumphuli and Fazli. (Prasenjit Dey)

April-May 2015, Kolkata : Majority of the buyers are local fruit sellers who pick up their basket from this wholesale market.
Majority of the buyers are local fruit sellers who pick up their basket from this wholesale market.
April-May 2015, Kolkata : The bidding is a secret craft always done under cover.
The bidding is a secret craft always done under cover
April-May 2015, Kolkata : Accounting part of the trade: A shop display mango boxes for selling in the retail market. Whole sale Mechua Bazar, the biggest fruit market in West Bengal. Daily transaction, score up to corers of Rupees
Kolkata : Accounting part of the trade: A shop display mango boxes for selling in the retail market. Whole sale Mechua Bazar, the biggest fruit market in West Bengal. Daily transaction, score up to corers of Rupees
April-May 2015, Kolkata : Point of purchase
Point of purchase
April-May 2015, Kolkata : Book keeping for the day.
Book keeping for the day
April-May 2015, Kolkata : Leisure time.
Leisure time
April-May 2015, Kolkata : Day ends.
Day ends
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Prasenjit Dey

(1973) – The instrument for capturing light was an interesting object in childhood. Youth made me a lover of photography and things took shape… More »

4 Comments

  1. A thousand word essay summarised into a photograph collection….beautiful and knowledgeable….

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