Feature image: A bunch of litchis. Photo credit: Pratyush Gupta
On the last day of school before the summer break, Latika spotted a cart full of litchis. She got very excited as this meant that the litchi season had officially begun! Litchis are her favourite fruit, so much so that everyone at home lovingly calls her ‘Luchi’. Unlike her classmates, who are embarrassed by their pet names, Luchi loves her name. If she had her way, everyone would eat litchis for breakfast, lunch, and dinner—every day!
The only thing Luchi doesn’t like about litchis is that they aren’t available throughout the year. And once her father brings them home, they wilt so quickly! That’s why Luchi makes the most of every litchi she eats. After peeling each fruit carefully, she hands it to her father to inspect for any lurking worms. Only after her father approves does Luchi bite into the juicy sphere. Her elder brother, Dhruv, often teases her by claiming that the litchi seeds are, in fact, cockroaches in hibernation. Luchi knows this isn’t true, but she still doesn’t want to take any chances and tosses the seeds immediately after relishing the flesh.
As Luchi entered her home, still dreaming of biting into the juicy fruit, she was surprised to see four big suitcases lined up near the door. Her father was home early from work, and everyone was frantically trying to pack last-minute items for a trip.
Sensing that something was bothering her, Luchi’s dad asked her, “Is everything okay, Luchi?” Luchi replied wryly, “Are we going somewhere? I wanted to taste the litchis before going, Baba. Maybe we won’t find them by the time we’re back.” Her father, with a twinkle in his eyes, said, “Oh, yes, we’re going to someplace very special. Sorry, Luchi, we’ll see about the litchis when we return. Or if you’re lucky, you might get to taste them sooner.”
Tired and slightly disappointed, Luchi got into the car and slept her way through most of the journey. When they reached their destination—a small homestay on the outskirts of Dehradun, the capital of the hilly Indian state of Uttarakhand—it was dark, and Luchi couldn’t see a thing. All she could make out were the silhouettes of many trees in front of their cottage.
That night, Luchi was awakened by a loud sound. She heard people shouting and making scary noises. From the corner of her eye, she saw a bright light flash across her window. Scared, she pulled the blanket over her head, curled up closer to her father, and slept.
Luchi woke up late the next morning and found her father standing eagerly near her bed. “Wake up, Luchi! There’s something you need to see!” Slowly rubbing her eyes, Luchi went to the window as her father pointed outside. At first, she didn’t notice anything but the green trees. Then she saw it! Bundles of little red balls hanging from those trees. Luchi was staring at a litchi orchard!
Luchi was so enamoured with the thought of visiting the orchard that she was willing to skip getting ready and eating breakfast. Alas, she was forced to take a bath, brush her teeth, and eat breakfast before doing anything else. At the breakfast table, Dhruv announced that he wanted to visit the zoo. Miffed, Luchi didn’t say anything to her brother, but quietly asked her father, “Can we please go to the orchard, Baba?”
And so, Luchi’s father went to the orchard with her, while everyone else went to the zoo. They both reached the old, rusty orchard gate next to their homestay and spotted an old man with white hair and a long beard. Her father asked the man if they could get some litchis. The old man, without a word, swung open the gate, and Luchi—holding her father’s hand tightly—entered the land of litchis.
Inside, there were rows and rows of litchi-laden trees. Everywhere Luchi looked, she saw them hanging from the trees, like precious red gems. Beneath a ragged tarpaulin, a dozen or so people were sitting and sorting fresh litchis, tying them into neat bunches. Luchi was so enchanted by the orchard that she didn’t notice the old man had followed and was standing close to them.
With a thundering voice, he said, “Well, what are you waiting for? Pick them up and weigh them.”
Luchi, though slightly taken aback by the old man’s presence, couldn’t contain herself. There she was, handpicking freshly plucked litchis! She kept getting distracted by their sweet fragrance, and yet, Luchi and her father gathered nearly three kilograms of litchis, paid the old man, and returned to the homestay. In her room, she peeled and bit into the biggest litchi from the bag. Her eyes widened. It was the sweetest and juiciest litchi she had ever tasted! She gorged on endless litchis before falling asleep, while happily gazing at the orchard from the window.
That night, Luchi heard the noises and saw the flashing lights again. And just like the previous night, she shut her eyes tightly, and went back to sleep.
XXX
The next morning, her family was getting ready to visit Mussoorie, a nearby hill station. Luchi went to her father and asked, “Baba, can I please stay? I don’t want to go to Mussoorie, I’ll meet you in the evening when you’re back.” “But what will you do all day alone here?” her father asked. “I could spend the day at the litchi orchard,” she replied quickly.
Despite protests from everyone, Luchi’s father agreed. He accompanied her to the orchard, and they met the same old man. Luchi’s father requested him to look after Luchi and promised her that he would return before evening.
As her father disappeared at the end of the lane, Luchi wondered how old the trees in the orchard would be, when the old man cleared his throat. After a few moments of silence, she timidly asked him, “Who are the people that keep shouting at night, sir?” The old man took a deep breath and replied, “The bats love the litchis as much as you do, and every night they eat away at our beloved fruit. So, at night, we chase them away by flashing torches and making loud noises.” Luchi was amazed as she realised how precious these fruits were and how many people had to work hard for her to enjoy her favourite fruit.
“When do you know the litchis are ready? When are they at their sweetest and juiciest?” The old man explained that the litchis start ripening toward the end of summer, and that one intense spell of rain makes them sweeter, redder, and bigger. That’s when the harvesting begins. In a deeper voice, he added, “But the valley’s climate is changing. We can’t predict it anymore, and the time and intensity of rainfall keep fluctuating. It’s now harder to cultivate ripe, red, and juicy litchis.”
Luchi was concerned that in the future she might not be able to enjoy litchis anymore. The old man, as if reading her mind, said, “Don’t worry, litchis have been around for thousands of years. Nature will adapt; it’s humans who need to prepare for the future.” Before she could stop herself, she blurted, “Thousands of years?” “Yes, it is said that litchi was cultivated as far back as 2000 BC. Litchis are native to China and were used in traditional medicine. No wonder they were so popular among the Chinese emperors,” the man said with a chuckle. Luchi imagined all the bitter medicines she was forced to take when she was sick, and how happily she would replace them with litchis if she could.
Luchi listened to stories of the litchi from the old man all day. She lost count of how many she ate while listening to him. It was almost dark when Luchi heard her father’s voice in the distance. As she grabbed her bag of handpicked litchis and stood up to leave, she turned around and said, “Thank you, sir. It’s because of your efforts that I get to enjoy litchis every year. Do you think I can grow them in my home too?”
“Sure, you can. If you’re willing to care for and nurture the tree, that is,” he replied. Luchi walked back to the hotel with a spring in her step, telling her father everything she had learned about litchis.
That night, Luchi heard the same noises and opened her window to join in the calls to shoo away the bats. No matter how many times her parents asked her to go back to sleep, she simply wouldn’t listen. She couldn’t wait to get back to Delhi and plant a big litchi seed—safely tucked in her pocket—in one of her favourite pots. Half asleep, Luchi decided she would share the litchis from her tree with bats, monkeys, sparrows, and all sorts of creatures. Smiling and dreaming of eating fresh litchis, Luchi fell asleep.
