Open to the public from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m., the festival will conclude on June 29.

The event is anything but “mango-licious.” The heady aroma of ripe mangoes and the fruit slices offered to tickle the taste buds proved irresistible to Kochiites who visited the second edition of the Kerala Mango Festival held here on Thursday.

The four-day long event under way at the St. Michaels Church Hall in Chembumukku exhibits over 1, 500 varieties of the king of fruits. One can have the pick of mangoes in various shapes and sizes with colours ranging from red and peach to golden and green. Apart for the quintessential varieties in Kerala and other States, the event features mango varieties from various foreign countries including Brazil, Thailand, Australia and Pakistan. Also on display at the festival are some of the rare varieties of mangoes including Angurdhana, the smallest mango weighing just 2 grams and the 2-kilogram Mabali mango.

Organised by the Greenvalley public School in Kothamangalam, the event aims at providing the public with an opportunity to get a look and feel of the king of all fruits. ‘The objective is to give the public an idea about the different mango varieties and thereby help elevate its status from a mere seasonal produce,” said Pradeep Kuriakose, festival director.

The organisers also said mangoes displayed at the festival were farm fresh. They had taken care to ensure that no artificially ripened mangoes were brought to the festival venue.

Besides providing an opportunity to see the exotic varieties, the event also promises to be a fun package with events, including mango eating competition and other cultural programmes.

Open to the public from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m., the festival will conclude on June 29.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Kochi / by Staff Reporter / Kochi – June 27th, 2014