
Ek shaam, aam ke naam
Har desi dil mein aam ek khas jagah rakhte hain - and this love brought many mango lovers to Bazm-e-Aam, an evening dedicated to the memories, metaphors and magic of the mango.
Curated by Kashkol Collective, the evening at IIC had chroniclers, chefs, artists in attendance, who sliced the mango in lyrical, poetic, musical and culinary ways.
"Mango is a subject that unites us all. Everyone has a story, connection, memory related to mangoes. Bazm-e-Aam has been organised with an idea to start a tradition of an annual aam ki daawat in Delhi," said Ambreen Shah, founder, Kashkol Collective, an initiative dedicated to fostering artistic collaboration.
Kashkol Collective founders Ambreen Shah and Ashhar Haque
Tasting tradition through tales, sonic experience and food
Bazm-e-aam began with a qissa-e-amba, performed by Ashhar Haque - tracing how the mango sparked conversations but also rivalries, inspired poetry and imagination, and continues to be used as a metaphor and a muse in our culture.
Sohail Hashmi in conversation with Sopan Joshi, author of Mangifera Indica: A Biography of the Mango
"This event is a starting point to talking about the mango. From the design of the paisley that was inspired by the mango to the use of mango wood in havans, mango is one fruit that grows all over the country and so the connection with mango operates in so many ways and layers," says geographer Sohail Hashmi, who was in conversation with Sopan Joshi (independent journalist and author of Mangifera Indica: A Biography of the Mango), as a part of the event.
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Blending songs and storytelling, the Dholak Rani Ensemble gave the audience a chance to sway to melodies celebrating the spirit of summers in India.
Shivangini Yeashu Yuvraj (L), Isha Priya Singh (R) presented traditional folk songs that capture the rhythms, moods, and memories of the Indian summer
Historian Eshan Sharma & chef and author Sadaf Hussain
Chef
Sadaf Hussain
showcased the versatility of mangoes through his mango-forward menu, featuring ramkela and malda varieties. The menu was a vibrant celebration of mango flavours from across regional kitchens, with dishes like Gujarat's ras no fajeto, Manipur's heinou metpa, Andhra's mamidikaya pulihora, Bihar's aam ka koocha, and Rajasthan's kachche aam ki kheer. "I wanted Delhi's mango lovers to taste dishes that were popular in regional kitchens.
I don't think any other fruit offers as much versatility as mangoes, from raw to ripe," said Sadaf.
Chef Sadaf Hussain's five-course dining menu was all dishes mango
KN Shrivastava, Director, IIC and Salman Khurshid
Chef Gunjan Goela and culinary chronicler Pushpesh Pant
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