Langra, Dasehri, Fajri, Chaunsa, Sindhri and Banganpali — you must be thinking that these are the kinds of mangoes. Yes they are, but in this story these are the names of our characters — six brothers whose parents adored mangoes so much that they named their sons on the different kinds of mangoes.

These six brothers are now grownup and have been running their family restaurant called Mango Lovers’ Paradise whose speciality is mango and various dishes made using mangoes. You won’t find any fast food or traditional Pakistani meal here but if you love to eat mangoes and its by-products then this place is for you!

Mango ice-cream, shake, cake, pickle, chutney, salsa, mango chicken, smoothie, lassi, pudding, rice, sauce, cheesecake, dessert, curry, jam, jelly and of course mango salad were the items on their menu list and all contained mango!

“One mango lassi… fast please,” a customer gave order to Langra who was at the counter.

“Anything else sir,” Langra asked the customer while preparing the cash receipt for him.

“No, thank you!” replied the customer and paid his bill.

Sindhri took him to the table and asked him to wait for his order. The customer said, “Thank you young man! What’s yourname?”

“Sindhri,” Sindhri told in a low tone and the customer burst into a fit of laughter. “Is it a name or a kind of mango hahaha…”

the customer made fun of Sindhri’s name and Sindhri came at the counter having tears in his eyes.

Langra had been watching all this. He ordered Chaunsa to deliver the order to the customer and then turned to Sindhri.

“I can understand your frustration Sindhri! Our parents have given us such names which have ruined our image and we have become a laughing stock for everyone!” Langra shared with Sindhri.

While Sindhri nodded his head in agreement with Langra, Dasehri came from outside. He went to deliver some items to officesand houses. He too joined his brothers in the discussion.

The most interesting thing about these brothers was that they hated mangoes. They used to think that their parents havespoiled their image by giving them such silly names and that’s why they never tasted mango. Their parents used to say whatMirza Ghalib, the witty poet, once said to his friend who didn’t like mangoes, ‘Only donkeys don’t eat mangoes’ but thebrothers had so much hatred towards this delicious fruit that they never listened to their parents.

Their life and business were going on smoothly when a day arrived that changed their perception towards their names andmangoes as well.

A customer arrived and ordered mango curry with rice. Fajri took his order and asked Banganpali to serve the customer. Thecustomer tasted mango curry and began to yell, “What’s this! Is this mango curry! This is the most horrible mango curry Ihave ever tasted!”

Banganpali was confused and didn’t know what to say when Fajri, Chaunsa and other brothers rushed to the customer andenquired the matter. “Sir, our expert chef has prepared this dish and he has been working here for many years! Nobody evercomplained about the taste and quality of our food!” Sindhri tried to explain.

“OK, then I would suggest you to taste it yourself… Only then you will get to know that I am right!” the customer replied.

Sindhri was hesitant because he hated mangoes but for the sake of his family business, Sindhri tasted mango curry….

All brothers were looking at Sindhri and waiting for his feedback. Sindhri was silent…. And after a pause, he snatched from thecustomer the dish full of mango curry, put rice in it and finished it in a minute…. He could not resist the scrumptious mangocurry!

Everyone was shocked! Then Sindhri began, “We were really idiots who abandoned such great blessing of God for years. Ourparents rightly said that only donkeys don’t eat mangoes!”

The customer began to laugh as the parents of mango brothers came there!

“Dad, you…” Chaunsa had understood it all.

“Yes, my son!” their father replied. “I sent this man and instructed him to do this so that you can get to know the taste of mangoes. I have been running our business based on this priceless blessing of God and my own sons never tasted it! It reallyhurts me!” their father said in an emotional tone and continued, “I gave you all names based on different kinds of mangobecause of my love for mangoes. I never realised that it would affect your social life… I am sorry my sons…”

“No dad…” Sindhri interrupted his father and said, “Whatever you have given to us is precious — be it our names or our lives!We could not understand your love dad and we are sorry for that!” As Sindhri finished, all brothers along with their parentsgathered at a table and for the first time in their lives, ordered mango dishes and that too, in their own restaurant! They had agreat time eating delicious mango dishes and since then, the brothers neither felt ashamed of their names nor hated mangoes, rather they too, like their parents, became mango lovers and worked happily at Mango Lovers’ Paradise.