Sweet memories  of savoured mangoes at Pinjore Gardens

I grew up in Kalka where family outings and school picnics almost always meant a visit to the iconic Pinjore Gardens —there simply wasn’t a more charming spot nearby.

Also known as Yadavindra Gardens, the 17th-century Mughal marvel was originally built by architect Nawab Fidai Khan, foster brother of Emperor Aurangzeb. Later, Maharaja Yadavindra Singh of Patiala restored it to its present glory. One sunny afternoon at the Pinjore Gardens, we spread our bedsheets under a huge mango tree for lunch. Suddenly, a ripe mango fell down right between the two families picnicking under the large tree.

A caretaker, hearing the thud, came searching — clearly used to such ‘mango mishaps’. But we, too, slyly rolled the mango into our sheet and waited for him to pass. When the caretaker went away disappointed, that mango, which wasn’t stolen, was savoured — with laughter. Decades later that mango’s sweet memories, like its taste, cost nothing but mean everything.

GP Singh Sandhu, Mohali