Have you ever been to a Mango Orchard? I am sure, those who have visited an orchard know the pleasure of plucking a mango from a tree! Family with kids must have cherished the moments playing in the orchard, running around the trees and seeing kids climbing the branches! The king of fruits wearing the shades of Yellows, Greens and some with the strokes of Reds too. Well summer has its own fun time. For kids especially, arrival of summer-breaks brings the opportunity to travel and the joy of eating mangoes.
During the summer breaks of 2018, me & my son visited a mango orchard in Jwalagarh, a village near Meerut. It is one of the Main Villages of the Rajput Chaubeesi. Chaubeesi stands for the 24 Rajput/Thakur villages in that area. The Main Family of Jwalagarh has vast lands with sugarcane and mustard farming as the main crop on their lands, however a vast portion is Mango, Litchi and Guava Orchards, fully sustained through water irrigation through tube wells within the orchards.
Not very far from Delhi but a little off to the main highway, leading to Rishikesh, it’s a drive of mere 2.00 hrs from Delhi. We started the drive on a Sunday morning at around 8 am and reached Jwalagarh by 10.00 am, at the mango orchard of my friend. After a late breakfast, my friend Abhimanyu and his father took us around to the orchard. We roamed around in the orchard plucking the mangoes we wish to eat and then returned to the sitting area near the tube well and a small pond through which the water was routed to various parts of the farms. Seeing the flowing water through that small pond, my son could not resist to take a dip in that tube well pond. He was not willing to come out if it soon so the mango supplies were made to him there only. He spent nearly two hrs in that pond, enjoying the splash of water and eating fresh mangoes.
Meanwhile, we both friends were chatting, sitting on a cot under a mango tree. Mangoes of Jwalagarh and the surrounding area is well known for their exceptional quality. The Family maintains all farms personally. Over the years, they are have mastered the art of Organic farming. The family has various tube wells on their vast property and one specific private tube well kept for their personal use. The main water supply was brought in this area, post independence by, then UPSEB, known today as UPPCL. The Hydro Power Project was initiated by Ch. Balbir Singh / Thakur Richpal Singh of Jwalagarh. This project was approved by Thakur Satya Narayan Singh, father of Thakur Richpal Singh’s Daughter-in-law, Kunwarani Rashmi Singh. This Hydro Project has been of exceptional help for the farmers around this area. The Mangoes grown here are mainly Dussheri, Langda, Chaunsa, Safeda, Amrapali and some Bombay, Totapari and Mallika.
After the lunch, we prepared to drive back home with full bag of mangoes of different variety available in his orchard. Though the Indian summers are hot n humid but by resting under the cool shades of the trees, a visit to the orchard lets one enjoy the delicious taste of fresh mangoes. A good picnic at the end and a good time away from a short distance of Delhi.
