India, Dec. 4 -- It is winter in Bangalore. Finally, the rains have stopped. The temperature has dipped. The winter migrant birds have arrived. And along with it, the bean that Bangaloreans wait for, and celebrate with a josh that is akin to how Delhiites celebrate the musk melon or how the whole country celebrates the mango during the summer.

Here in Bangalore, the humble hyacinth bean, variously described as Lablab purpureus or Dolichos lablab, arrives in our streets in December and stays till February. Vegetable carts piled high with this bean ply the streets. The culmination is the Avarebele Mela, which typically happens in early January at the National College Grounds. This year, it is slated to take place between December 27 to Jan...