Of guavas and trains!

When it comes to fruits, India has an embarrassment of riches. Traditionally, banana, mango and jackfruit are considered the Big-3. Guava may seem an innocuous contender. But on its day, guava can favorably compete against every opponent and even win hands down!

Guava’s appeal is that unlike the other fruits, it can be gobbled whole! You can bite right into it, unlike jackfruit, that requires enormous effort just to get to the edible portion. Most fruits require that optimum wait-time, till it is ripe for consumption. How many times have you cut a mango and felt, if only you could have waited another day or two! With Guava, raw or ripe, either way, it is just perfect! Also, it is a pan-India fruit. The guava variety found in South India is just as delightful as the famed “Allahabad amrood”!

It is late afternoon. The Mumbai-Chennai Mail snakes its way through the pastoral countryside and halts at Kondapuram. Vendors peddling tea and coffee shout themselves hoarse to entice the customers. The guava vendor has no such problem. The aroma of delicious guavas wafts in the air and announces itself, well before the vendor’s arrival. He eventually reaches the coupe and lowers the basket. It is heaped with succulent guavas. Each guava is mouthwatering, lush green in color, and pocked with water droplets that glisten like crystal beads!

The guavas are irresistible, and everyone clamors for one. The vendor props up a guava and makes precise incisions at the top. He stuffs it with a mixture of salt and chili powder.  Children can hardly wait for their turn. In the excitement, one child drops the guava and watches it roll down the train’s aisle! “What is the tearing hurry? Now, you cannot eat that guava!” parents admonish and ask for a fresh guava!

The elderly gentleman on the side berth observes the entire scene impassively. He laments, “I don’t have the teeth for guava anymore! The seeds get lodged in my molars!” Soon, he succumbs to guava’s temptation and wants one too! The vendor is pleased as he makes brisk business.

Guavas are immensely tasty- both the rind with its rough texture and the pulpy insides! A dash of salt gives that added kick and leaves a mild tingling sensation on the lips! Before you know, you have swallowed the guava in full and stretched your hand for more. “You have already eaten 2 guavas! Any more guavas and you will have a stomachache!” parents warn.

Guavas are a complete meal, so filling that you decide to skip dinner at Guntakal Junction. The train hurtles past the arid terrain.  Guava’s pleasant aftertaste lingers as you peer out of the window.