No summer flavours this season

Tirupati: People generally want to beat the heat during summer with various fruits and juices especially available in the season. But this time they have to miss these flavours due to the lockdown restrictions and coronavirus scare.

Everyone looks for mangoes and ice apples (palm fruit) from the onset of summer.

From mid April mangoes start arriving and by May first week markets are flooded with these tasty fruits. By this time, various varieties of mangoes like Benisha, Alphonso, Imam Pasand and Thotapuri arrive to temple city.

But disappointing everyone, only meagre quantities of mangoes could be seen in the markets now.

Even raw mangoes which are used for pickles this season are not available. "We have been in search of good varieties of raw mangoes to prepare 'Avakaya' and 'Magaya'.

Despite visiting the Rythu Bazaar daily, pickle varieties are not at all seen while the season is coming to an end," said a housewife Sukanya.

People of all ages are fond of ice apples which are filled with good amount of minerals sodium and potassium and provide energy.

Above 200 sellers from surrounding villages reach Tirupati every day with fresh ice fruits and earn good margins, whereas this year only a sizeable number are seen who are scattered at different places that too only after May 15.

Apart from fruit juices, drinks made of Nannari, Sugandha, lemon and other sharbats will have high demand. Except for some pushcarts, these drinks are also not available as shops are not allowed to open. Water kiosks (Chalivendras) and buttermilk and ice candy vendors are also not seen anywhere.

Though watermelons and papayas are available, the cut pieces of these fruits sprinkled with salt and pepper are not seen leaving the consumers to buy the whole fruit itself.

One could not forget the fragrance of beautiful jasmine flowers every summer which are now confined to a very few street vendors.