An 84-year-old man in Shivamogga has been passionately working towards preserving his love for mangoes. An octogenarian, BV Subba Rao Hegde has identified and preserved over 100 varieties of mangoes in his small backyard. His passion came due to his intense craze for mango pickles. BV Subba Rao visited around 16 villages of Western Ghats to collects the local varieties of appe midi. Appe midi is a term for the mangoes used for pickle. He was felicitated with 'Award of Excellence' for innovative farming at National Horticulture fair 2021, held at Hesaraghatta in Bengaluru on February 08.