In India, a man has spent his 82-year-long life dedicated to enhancing a fruit. Known as “Mango Man”, Kaleem Ullah Khan, is whom we may call the God of Mangos. “Mango Man” has done much more than create multiple flavors, he’s been developing medicines with different parts of the fruit.
Mr. Khan’s friendship with the mango tree has a rich history. His “mother tree” is at least 120 years old. That means his father took care of the mother tree until Mr. Khan took over the nursery. When Kaleem was young, he was an absentminded and unfortunate student. Before the news of failing 7th grade (twice) reached his parents, he packed a basket of mangoes and escaped to his grandmother’s homestead, around 200 miles away!
“I stayed there 17 days, so I didn’t get a beating,” he chuckled. “When I came back, I quietly joined my father at the nursery. He didn’t say anything.”
After that, Kaleem began crafting new flavors, growing new saplings, and crossbreeding more trees. It would be decades later until he truly mastered the art of growing saplings and mango flavors.
Nowadays, Mr. Khan dedicates a lot to the fruit… He strokes the saplings and mother tree lightly. He walks around the nursery as if it is sacred ground. He’s recently moved his bedroom near the nursery. He has prepared the planks for his future coffin nearby.
“If you look at it from a distance, it’s a tree. But when in fruit, you are in awe – what is this show?” he said, pointing to the tree’s dense branches that curled out like the tentacles of an upside octopus. “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.”
There are so many different flavors and types of mangoes on his mother tree. It has caused him some trouble remembering all their names.
One of his first varieties was named after Aishwarya Rai, the actress crowned Ms. World in 1994. Now, there is the NaMo mango, named after Prime Minister Narendra Modi, recognizing the significant impact of the figure on India’s economy. There are also mangos named after dancers or cricket All-Stars.
The Indian Government awarded Mr. Khan the fourth-highest civilization award, the Padma Shri, in 2008.
Recently, he’s been trying to prove if mangoes can cure heart diseases. He’s been extracting mango flower and tree sap (which he calls tree blood) to see if they have medical benefits. “My intention was to announce there that five men who are having strength problems — I will cure them for free,” he said, referring to erectile dysfunction.
Mr. Khan is a living legend; the fruit is his friend. Mr. Khan believes in the possibility of the fruit, unlike any other human being. This unusual friendship stirred up this unusual story.
As long as Mr. Khan is here, mangos will continue getting more sweet and savory. Even if Mr. Khan isn’t here, his legacy will remain in our hearts. There will be breakthroughs with the legendary fruit if we (like Mr. Khan) study it, cherish it, and befriend it.
Mr. Khan’s friendship with the mango tree has a rich history. His “mother tree” is at least 120 years old. That means his father took care of the mother tree until Mr. Khan took over the nursery. When Kaleem was young, he was an absentminded and unfortunate student. Before the news of failing 7th grade (twice) reached his parents, he packed a basket of mangoes and escaped to his grandmother’s homestead, around 200 miles away!
“I stayed there 17 days, so I didn’t get a beating,” he chuckled. “When I came back, I quietly joined my father at the nursery. He didn’t say anything.”
After that, Kaleem began crafting new flavors, growing new saplings, and crossbreeding more trees. It would be decades later until he truly mastered the art of growing saplings and mango flavors.
Nowadays, Mr. Khan dedicates a lot to the fruit… He strokes the saplings and mother tree lightly. He walks around the nursery as if it is sacred ground. He’s recently moved his bedroom near the nursery. He has prepared the planks for his future coffin nearby.
“If you look at it from a distance, it’s a tree. But when in fruit, you are in awe – what is this show?” he said, pointing to the tree’s dense branches that curled out like the tentacles of an upside octopus. “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.”
There are so many different flavors and types of mangoes on his mother tree. It has caused him some trouble remembering all their names.
One of his first varieties was named after Aishwarya Rai, the actress crowned Ms. World in 1994. Now, there is the NaMo mango, named after Prime Minister Narendra Modi, recognizing the significant impact of the figure on India’s economy. There are also mangos named after dancers or cricket All-Stars.
The Indian Government awarded Mr. Khan the fourth-highest civilization award, the Padma Shri, in 2008.
Recently, he’s been trying to prove if mangoes can cure heart diseases. He’s been extracting mango flower and tree sap (which he calls tree blood) to see if they have medical benefits. “My intention was to announce there that five men who are having strength problems — I will cure them for free,” he said, referring to erectile dysfunction.
Mr. Khan is a living legend; the fruit is his friend. Mr. Khan believes in the possibility of the fruit, unlike any other human being. This unusual friendship stirred up this unusual story.
As long as Mr. Khan is here, mangos will continue getting more sweet and savory. Even if Mr. Khan isn’t here, his legacy will remain in our hearts. There will be breakthroughs with the legendary fruit if we (like Mr. Khan) study it, cherish it, and befriend it.
