HUNDREDS OF PEOPLE ATTEND LEICESTER'S FIRST MANGO FESTIVAL

This article appears in today's Leicester Mercury. I should point out that the final six paragraphs appear in the online edition of the article, but not in the print version.

Celebrity chef Sanjeev Kapoor, Keith Vaz MP and Bhai Jagtap with the elephants unveiled at the mango fesitval, in Cossington Street recreation ground

Hundreds of people attend Leicester's first mango festival

by David Owen

An Indian summer arrived early in Leicester today as the hottest day of the year so far coincided with the city’s first ever mango festival.

With temperatures reaching 22C (72F), hundreds of people visited Belgrave’s Cossington Park to enjoy the unique event.

Celebrity chef Sanjeev Kapoor, host of the hit Indian Masterchef TV show, was star attraction at the festival.

Greeted on stage to cheers and applause from the crowds, he said: “It’s a beautiful day to join you all here in Leicester. The reason we are here is because of the city’s hospitality – and the great taste of mangos!

“It’s an honour and a privilege to be here with you.”

Today's event recreated the world-famous International Mango Festival, which is held in Delhi every June.

Sanjeev treated festival goers to a cooking master class focusing on dishes using mangos. He was joined on stage by Bollywood choreographer Shiamak Davar and Bollywood movie art director and set designer Nitin Desai.

Other attractions included live music, dancing and children’s competitions.

Belgrave resident Avtar Kaur, 45, said: “In India the mango is king – it’s the national fruit and the most tasty.

“It’s such a lovely day and beautiful weather for everyone to get together in the park.

“I’m really enjoying myself with my friends and the weather couldn’t be more ideal.”

Vij Joraniya, 20, also of Belgrave, said: “I’m here to see Sanjeev. He’s the most famous chef in the whole of India and it’s so great to see him here in Leicester.”

Lavtar Singh Ruprah, 47, of Wigston, was enjoying a family day out with wife Reema and the couple’s two boys, Dhilan, two, and Harmeet, one.

“It’s a nice day out for the family and it’s nice to see people from all different communities in Leicester enjoying the sunshine and mangos,” he said. “You couldn’t have picked a better day for it, could you.”

The festival’s centrepiece was four ornately carved and decorated life-size wooden elephants – symbols of luck and prosperity in the subcontinent.

Thousands of delicious Alphonso mangos from the Kokan region of Maharashtra state were supplied courtesy of Indian producers who organised a similar festival in London on Sunday.

The decision to bring the festival here was made just 10 days ago after organisers approached Leicester East MP Keith Vaz.

He said: “It has taken a lot of hard work and organisation to put this festival together, but we did it in just 10 days.

“I’d like to thank the City Mayor, Sir Peter Soulsby, the city council, members of the Belgrave Traders Association and everyone else for making this happen.”

The festival only went ahead after an appeal in the Mercury saw the BAPS Swaminarayan Mandir temple, in Gipsy Lane, the Shreeji Dham Haveli temple, in Melton Road, and Leicester City Football Club agree to look after the elephants, which will be on show with two even bigger ones in the next few months.

Mr Vaz told the crowd: “These elephants will bring a great deal of luck to the city and in particular Leicester City FC, who play a very important match on Thursday.”

Speaking about today's sunny weather, Mercury weatherman Dave Mutton said: “It's more like India than Leicester. Ideal weather for our first mango festival.”

Organisers, however, have come in for some criticism after the supply of mangos ran out just 45 minutes into the festival.

“It was too short notice and not enough was done to tell local people what was going on,” said Gunvant Patel, 72, of Belgrave.

“About 500 people turned up at the park at 4.30pm only to be told it was all over. They went home feeling pretty disappointed.”

He added: “They called it a mango festival but it was more like a mango promotion, and in any case there were no mangos left by 3.45pm. Many people feel a bit short changed by the whole thing.”

GO MAN, GO!

#failstival

It's a lovely sunny Bank Holiday Monday - if that's not a contradiction in terms. I give the kids a choice: stay indoors and watch Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan on Film4 or head across town to Cossington Park Recreation Ground, to enjoy Leicester's first Mango Festival. Gracie votes with her feet, Harry is his usual biddable self.

I think we might have misjudged the start time of the Mango Festival. We hang around the park for longer than feels comfortable, but it doesn't get any more exciting than the scene you see in the photo above. There's an ice cream van on this far side of the park, but even as we're walking toward it, it drives off. That's how quiet and slow things are.

Rather than rely on being served our entertainment on a plate, we make our own fun - just like in the olden days (as Gracie would say). We go for mega chip butties from a local eatery on Melton Road and bring them back to the park. Nothing's changed though (note to self: if ever I get another one of these mega chip butties, make it a small one - if that's not another contradiction in terms). As we sit and eat as much of these as we're able, we count the number of times a mother and son walk around the park in their casual but committed exercise routine. We see them do six circuits before they call it a day. We were thinking of getting up and joining them next time they came past us.

With memories fresh from the Tirath Yatra Walk I took part in round here hardly a fortnight ago, I take the kids off to have a look at the Shri Ram Mandir on Hildyard Road and the Shri Siva Murugan Temple on Ross Walk (photo below). We just look at the outsides, since Gracie's not really dressed for going in. She's 11 and she came out dressed for a fun day in the park. After that diversion, we return to the park to join in the festivities, which we hope will be in full swing by now. But very little, if anything, has changed. Harry points out a dad and a little kid, leaning over a partially erected crash barrier, looking at nothing in particular. The elephants remain covered and there's not the slightest hint of mango anywhere.

Having hung around till we can't hang around no more, we call it quits and leave. The kids are bored now and want to go home. I'd rather hang on a bit longer as I'm sure things will pick up (surely they have to pick up). But, as you'll surely know faithful reader, "The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few - or the one."

We head back to town shortly after 1300 and thence to Wigston Magna, where I'm back on the couch in time to see most of the movie, courtesy of Film4+1. Now that's my idea of how to spend a Bank Holiday Monday.

LAST GASP GO-AHEAD FOR MANGO FESTIVAL

This article appears in today's Leicester Mercury:

Last gasp go-ahead for Mango festival

by David Owen

Leicester will host its first ever Mango festival on Bank Holiday Monday after 11th- hour plans came together just in time for the extravaganza to go ahead.

Organisations across the city answered Leicester East MP Keith Vaz's SOS call issued through the Mercury last week.

The politician admitted he cut it fine, but it has been confirmed that Belgrave's Golden Mile will replicate the world-renowned fruit festival held in Delhi every June.

Cossington Recreation Ground will be a sea of yellow and orange, with city residents from all communities invited to come along and join the fun.

In keeping with tradition, four giant ornately-carved wooden elephants will be the centrepiece of the festival, which will include Indian cooking demonstrations, dancing and music.

Mr Vaz hailed the staging of the festival an "organisational triumph" for the city.

"We really had our backs to the wall," he said. "But Leicester has been able to pull this together in just 10 days.

"It has been a magnificent effort and I want to thank the City Mayor, Sir Peter Soulsby, the city council's festival team, the police, Belgrave Traders Association and others for pulling this together at very short notice.

"I am particular delighted that a home has been found for the six elephants that will come especially from India." 

The elephants that could have proved the sticking point, with Mr Vaz appealing for local organisations to provide a home for the giant wooden animals. "A number of local groups, organisations and individuals contacted me offering a home for the elephants," he said.

The four life-size carvings will arrive on Monday, with two 24ft by 12ft giants arriving the following week after the BAPS Swaminarayan Mandir temple, on Gipsy Lane, Shreeji Dham Haveli temple, Melton Road, and Leicester City Football Club agreed to look after the elephants.

The Mango Festival will take place from 3pm, with activities for all ages, including cooking with celebrity chef Sanjeev Kapoor, dancing with Bollywood choreographer Shiamak Davar and a visit by Bollywood movie art director and set designer Nitin Desai.

Dharmesh Lakhani, chairman of Belgrave Business Association, said: "It's taken a lot of hard work but the fact it's going ahead is thanks to the effort put in by Keith and everyone else involved.''

VAZ HOPEFUL OF A MANGO EXTRAVAGANZA

This article appears in today's Leicester Mercury:

Vaz hopeful of a mango extravaganza

City MP Keith Vaz remains confident of staging the country's first mango festival in Leicester – with just 10 days left to get it organised.

The Leicester East MP wants Belgrave's Golden Mile to stage an extravaganza in tribute to the national fruit of India over the early May bank holiday weekend, mimicking the famous International Mango Festival held, in Delhi, every June.

A meeting involving the police, the city council officials and business representatives was held yesterday to discuss plans for the event.

Mr Vaz said afterwards: "I am extremely grateful to the city mayor for the support given to the proposal to have the first mango festival in Leicester.

"If it's going to go ahead, a lot of hard work needs to be done in the next few days. I am optimistic we will meet the deadline. We're not staging the Olympics, it's only a mango festival."

Mr Vaz has arranged the delivery of six giant wooden elephants to Leicester, which would form a key part of the festival.

An appeal was issued in the Mercury on Wednesday for people to look after the elephants in the run-up to the event.

Mr Vaz said: "I am delighted so many organisations have contacted my office and offered to look after one of the elephants.

"We will be having an X-factor style contest, the E-factor, if you like, to consider exactly where to put them, as we have more offers than elephants.

"The collective view is that we have everything we need to make this happen."

Dharmesh Lakhani, chairman of Belgrave Business Association, attended the meeting.

He said: "It is a very exciting opportunity for Leicester. I believe the costs will be met by the mango growers of Maharashtra. The elephants will be something different for the city.

"I think it is a good idea, but there isn't much time to get it organised, just 10 days."

KEITH'S BIG PROBLEM

This article appears in today's Leicester Mercury:

Keith's big problem

by David Owen

Keith Vaz faces an elephant-sized headache as he tries to organise the country's first ever Mango festival – in two weeks' time.

The Leicester East MP wants Belgrave's Golden Mile to stage an extravaganza in tribute to the national fruit of India over the early May bank holiday weekend, mimicking the famous International Mango Festival held in Delhi every June.

So far he has not finalised any of the details of the festival, such as what events would take place as part of it.

However, he has arranged the delivery of six giant wooden elephants to Leicester, which would form a key part of the festival.

Now he has just days to find somewhere suitable to display and store the ornately-decorated beasts, which are on their way to the UK from the Indian subcontinent.

Mr Vaz said: "I was approached by people working for the regional government of Maharashtra, in Mumbai, who said they wanted to organise a Mango festival in the UK.

"They have organised a festival in Trafalgar Square and I said 'if you're coming to England you've got to come to Leicester!' They said it was a great idea.

"It would be wonderful to have the focus of the festival in Belgrave and a way of promoting all the fantastic green-grocers in the area.

"These festivals are a celebration of Indian culture and food – and what a coup it would be for us in Leicester to host the country's first mango festival – and before London!"

Mr Vaz now has to finalise the arrangements – including temporary homes for the wooden elephants, which are up to 24ft by 12ft in size.

The Mercury was the first organisation in the city to know of the palns.

Mr Vaz has already approached the Mercury about having one of the elephants outside our offices in George Street and is now contacting Leicester City FC, Leicester Tigers and large city colleges, such as Rushey Mead School and Soar Valley College.

"This is a bit of an SOS," he said. "I am delighted that the organisers of the first Mango Festival have decided to come to Leicester.

"The elephants are an essential part of the festival but we need to find locations where they can be displayed – and where they will be looked after.

"We are looking for groups, businesses or even individuals who would house and look after the giant elephants for a three-month period.

"I know time is short but it would be such a shame if we missed out on this great opportunity," he said.

Councillor Manjula Sood, assistant city mayor for community involvement and equality, said: "If the festival can go ahead it would be wonderful – much better here than in London!"

The council is organising a "multi-agency" planning meeting to discuss the proposals with Mr Vaz for Friday.

Mayor Sir Peter Soulsby said: "It sounds like an interesting proposal and I have asked our festivals and events team to provide advice and support to Keith to help him with its delivery."