Kaleem Ulla Khan is not afraid to express his love for mango fruit and its tree. The 82-year-old is residing in Malihabad, India, and claims mangoes have infinite potential and can cure anything.
Mr. Khan has grafted over 300 types of new mangoes in his lifetime, including the NaMo mango and Anarkali mango. “If you look at it from a distance, it’s a tree. But when in fruit, you are in awe – what is this show? If you see through your mind’s eye, you will see that this is at once a tree, an orchard, and most importantly it is a college for the world’s mangoes,” he stated.
Recently Mr. Khan went to the swearing-in ceremony of Yogi Adityanath, the chief minister of Uttar Pradesh. Mr. Khan was hoping to pitch to Mr. Moni, the guest of honor, that extracts from the mango tree’s flowers and sap can cure anything.
“My intention was to announce there that five men who are having strength problems – I will cure them for free,” Mr. Khan said. However, he was unable to make it to the event, as he got stuck in traffic on the way there.
And mango “has not only been Mr. Khan’s livelihood, but his identity,” as the New York Times put it. In 2008, the Indian government even awarded him the Padma Shri for his efforts, one of the country’s greatest civilian honors.
Mr. Khan’s method of grafting is very precise. First he cuts into the branch with a knife, then he places a piece cut from another type of mango tree’s branch, and finally ties them together so they create a new tissue.
When the presidential palace in New Delhi heard of Mr. Khan’s success, the palace wanted one of his trees. Mr. Khan was very delighted to hear that, stating that “a tree from a small man, the soil from this small place, Malihabad” would make it to India’s capital. He chose to give the palace a younger tree on which he had grafted 54 varieties of mango.
Link to article: https://s3.amazonaws.com/appforest_uf/f1656875766198x991431403880547600/%E2%80%98Mango%20Man%E2%80%99%20Is%20the%20Fruit%E2%80%99s%20Foremost%20Poet%2C%20Philosopher%2C%20Fan%20and%20Scientist%20-%20The%20New%20York%20Times.pdf
Mr. Khan has grafted over 300 types of new mangoes in his lifetime, including the NaMo mango and Anarkali mango. “If you look at it from a distance, it’s a tree. But when in fruit, you are in awe – what is this show? If you see through your mind’s eye, you will see that this is at once a tree, an orchard, and most importantly it is a college for the world’s mangoes,” he stated.
Recently Mr. Khan went to the swearing-in ceremony of Yogi Adityanath, the chief minister of Uttar Pradesh. Mr. Khan was hoping to pitch to Mr. Moni, the guest of honor, that extracts from the mango tree’s flowers and sap can cure anything.
“My intention was to announce there that five men who are having strength problems – I will cure them for free,” Mr. Khan said. However, he was unable to make it to the event, as he got stuck in traffic on the way there.
And mango “has not only been Mr. Khan’s livelihood, but his identity,” as the New York Times put it. In 2008, the Indian government even awarded him the Padma Shri for his efforts, one of the country’s greatest civilian honors.
Mr. Khan’s method of grafting is very precise. First he cuts into the branch with a knife, then he places a piece cut from another type of mango tree’s branch, and finally ties them together so they create a new tissue.
When the presidential palace in New Delhi heard of Mr. Khan’s success, the palace wanted one of his trees. Mr. Khan was very delighted to hear that, stating that “a tree from a small man, the soil from this small place, Malihabad” would make it to India’s capital. He chose to give the palace a younger tree on which he had grafted 54 varieties of mango.
Link to article: https://s3.amazonaws.com/appforest_uf/f1656875766198x991431403880547600/%E2%80%98Mango%20Man%E2%80%99%20Is%20the%20Fruit%E2%80%99s%20Foremost%20Poet%2C%20Philosopher%2C%20Fan%20and%20Scientist%20-%20The%20New%20York%20Times.pdf
