Rataul: The Baghpat Mango That Led To Indo-Pak Standoff

Baghpat: Very few people would be aware of an Indo-Pak standoff over a variety of mango. Here too India had emerged the winner. The variety in question is Rataul, a mango so delicious and fragrant that the world craves for it including cities like London and others.

This mango has its roots in Rataul village of Baghpat. Junaid Faridi who is the grandson of Affaq Faridi, who was known as ‘Mango Man’, related that it was his father who had developed this variety in his village in 1912. After this he distributed the saplings to the people in the adjoining villages. It was in 1920 that a nursery was established in Rataul village and very soon this Rataul mango became popular far and wide.

The story goes that former Pakistani Dictator Muhammad General Zia-ul-Haq had once gifted some mangoes to former Indian Prime Minister Indira Gandhi and had conveyed that they were Rataul mangoes that grew only in Pakistan.

“When the residents of Rataul village came to know about this, they contested the claim and approached the Prime Minister Indira Gandhi saying that the variety is purely Indian. Thereafter claims and counter claims between Pakistan and India reached a stage where Indira Gandhi had to call a media briefing to convey that the variety had been developed by none other than Affaq Faridi and it is India that has rightful claim to it,” disclosed Junaid Faridi.

Junaid Faridi further stated that when his grandfather developed this variety Pakistan was not even in existence. Rataul mango reached the Mirapur Khas area of Pakistan only around 1934. This variety even got a Geographical Indication (GI) tag in 2022.

He related that Pakistan had once again tried to lay claim on this mango at a festival in Dubai but had to face a defeat there also as the variety it referred to as ‘Anwar’ was catalogued as Rataul by his grandfather. “Anwaar Khatoon was my grandmother whose name had been distorted to Anwar,” he said.

“We are ready to fight them if they ever lay claim to this mango again,” he underlined. The prominence of Rataul mango can be gauged from the fact that it has been tasted by several top politicians of the country including the four Prime Ministers Indira Gandhi, Atal Bihari Vajpayee, Chandrashekhar and Vishwanath Pratap Singh.

Its growers say this fruit is so tender that it requires a special bagging technique. It is targeted by insects. When it ripens it has a unique flavor. This variety is exported to several destinations abroad including the United States, Britain and Dubai. The Rataul village remains the main supplier of this variety.

However, its crop was largely destroyed on account of the recent storm and its export is expected to decline this year. This is a major concern for its producers. The lovers of this mango will have to pay more this year.