Fruit Kejriwal ?

One more lovely photo capture, by my cousin Dr Madhuri Gore, from her plantation at her native place at Naringre, near Devgad in Kokan.

So many who have seen the golden fruit sold on handcarts in cities , do not know, how the actual jackfruits look on trees.  While the ability of the tree to support so many heavy jackfruits at one point, makes one wonder about the tendons and ligaments of the tree, it is interesting to know that the jackfruit is considered the world's largest tree borne fruit. A standard jackfruit tree, bears 250 to 300 , 10 kilogram fruits per year, making it an unparalleled source for food security.  Its fruit, seeds, leaves, wood are all usable in various ways.

Despite this, the emphasis is always on fruits with external aesthetic appearance. Then someone says that the taste is a combination of mango, pineapple and banana.

I've seen this before. Ignoring of native ruggedness in favor of externally attractive features. So much so, that even the taste is attributed to the other politically powerful fruit.    Sigh.  Kejriwal, where are you ?

   

In a world
populated by
page 3 shapely
hi spending Mango Kumaries,
Hi fi made up Lady Apples
fooling around with
those Chikku copycat Kiwis
and smooth Maltas
lording it over
Santrabai Nagpure,
it isn't easy
being a Fanas.

Like an
old style tough grandpa
from a long line of
Kokan folks,
straight talking ,frugal,
and a good manager
of what resources came to him
from his green ancestors,
he never worried too much
about his looks
or his vote bank.

Not for him
all that fuss
about leaving the tree
in your teenage
to lie covered in straw,
on shelves
while people
kept spying
to see
when you could be ripe
for kidnapping.

He nurtures his constituency,
within and without.

Sometimes
raw training
for participation in bhaaji,
sometimes,
guiding softhearted golden ones
in the making of jams,
and sun dried candy;
and sometimes
offering himself
"al dente" so to speak,
for the raw enjoyment
of sometimes totally undeserving bipeds.

A Fanas is known
by the company he keeps,
and the leaves are always
able and willing
to wrap themselves in service
to various idlies
and pancakes,
with their special flavor,
while
the kid seeds usually
lay out in the Sun,
pretending to tan,
but are actually
having a last fling
before being roasted alive.

Even the ancestor tree
joins in,
offering its wood
for various purposes.

Despite this ,
you will never see
Fanas
being given a ticket
to fight the fruit elections,
for the post of King.

It is a universal truth,
that Fair folks
with fancy colored lines,
and shades
get tickets,
while hardworking,
tough
rough and
loyal folks
like Fanasrao,
who never forget
where they came from,
must sit next to
smart oily hands
and simply watch.