Vineeta Rao
Auckland, April 21, 2024
As the Mango season approaches Asia, here is a story about a man responsible for new varieties creating a stir in the Indian Mango markets.
Haji Kalimullah Khan is an unassuming man. If you were to see him walk by or saw him ride past you on his battered bicycle, you would never guess that he was the recipient of India’s fourth highest Civilian Award, the Padma Sri.
Eighty-four-year old Haji Khan also goes by another moniker – the Mango Man of India.
A self-taught gardener has mastered the intricate art of grafting.
His garden is a living laboratory and his greatest experiment is a single Mango tree that bears an eye-watering 350 varieties of Mangoes!
The Mango College
Born in Malihabad near Lucknow in Uttar Pradesh, Haji Khan dropped out of school in Year Seven. His accomplishments are all the more incredible given his lack of formal education.
“People tell me that I am a self-taught scientist. No, it is the trees that have taught me,” said the horticulturist and fruit breeder.
“How would I know how many trees I have grown in my life? I am gifted with this knowledge and I am sure if I am given a chance, even desert landscapes would taste the sweetness of Mangoes. For a visitor, it may just be a Mango orchard. But it is the biggest Mango College in the world for me
Haji Khan spent his childhood playing hide-and-seek in his family’s orchard. He planted his first Mango tree when he was seven years old and has never stopped.
His grandfather planted the now 125 year old tree that also doubled up as his living laboratory.
Fruitful Work
Haji Khan said that the act of growing fruit as beloved as Mango is very sacred to him.
“The sheer joy I see every time a person eats a ripe and sweet Mango is unparalleled. My goal is to spread a bit of happiness and sweetness in the world and what better way to do so than with Mangoes,” he said.
Haji Khan said that he does not eat the same variety of Mango twice.
He has been grafting techniques since 1957 to create his fruitful bounty. Using asexual grafting techniques, he has developed multiple new varieties, some named after celebrities and others after the downtrodden in his area.
He has a Mango named after himself, called Dusseri Kalim. A cross between the Dusheri and Sinduri varieties. This crop has the sweetness of the Dusheri and the texture of the Sindhuri.
He worked on this variant for over 16 years before perfecting the produce.
In addition to the short ‘Sachin Tendulkar Mango,’ the longer Totapuri variant called ‘Amitabh Bachchan’ after the lanky film star, ‘Yogi Adityanath’ and ‘Narendra Modi’ Mangoes which are slightly orange just before ripening, a nod to their saffron leanings.
The Aishwarya variant, named after the Bollywood actress, is another favourite and he calls it his best creation.
Each of these Celebrity Mangoes weighs about a kilogramme.
“I live with Mangoes. I will die next to my trees. I keep the orchard in my heart. Human beings should hold Mangoes dear because both have a common history,” Haji Khan said.
Vineeta Rao is an Indian Newslink Reporter based in Auckland.
