Imagine a village in Kerala that grows not just 200 mango trees, but 200 different kinds of mangoes. In Kannapuram, mangoes are more than just fruit — they’re heritage and emotion.
In just 20 homes, across 372 trees, over 100 mango varieties grow. The whole village, as surveyed by locals, now boasts a whopping 208 different kinds of mangoes!
“Our Naattumaanjottil journey began when a landowner cut down a 200-year-old Vellathan tree. Vellathan Mangoes are so sweet, and they hold a special place in the hearts of all villagers. So we thought of regrowing them,” says farmer Shyju Machathi.
“From kids to senior citizens, people came forward to collect many pieces of the fallen tree, and together we grafted them,” Shyju adds. That tree sparked a village-wide movement.
He says that the main idea of the Facebook page is to share details about different varieties of trees. They share the names of Mangoes and their taste and shape, so people know more about the fruit.
“In our home, we have three Mango trees, which are Cheri Manga, Choppan Manga and Kannapuram Manga,” says villager Shobana Surendran.
Every year, during the season, they make pickles, curry, jam, cake, drinks, pudding and other dishes at home.
Some mangoes are named for their shape, colour or pulp. Others are so similar they were “named only after tasting each of them,” Shyju says. Each one is truly unique.
One mango is called ‘Kula Niryan’ as it bears fruit throughout the year. Another is ‘Thenga Manga’ because it looks like a coconut. The names are as local as they are lyrical.
On July 22, 2020, National Mango Day, the Kerala Biodiversity Board declared Kannapuram an ‘Indigenous Mango Heritage Area’ — a sweet recognition of local passion.