Kalimullah Khan under his 125-year-old mango tree – credit, family photo released

From India comes the story of a remarkable man, and an even more remarkable tree.

Capable of producing more than 300 different varieties of mango, it is a world-renowned horticultural accomplishment that won its grower important civilian honors and international attention.

Kalimullah Khan – credit, family photo released

Kalimullah Khan from India’s town of Malihabad, Uttar Pradesh, has been cultivating mango varieties since the 1950s. Now aged 84, his son manages most of the orchard, and the old man mostly gets to enjoy the fruits of his labors, family, and of course to take all the credit for its creation.

That creation is something that seems totally impossible: a tree from which each branch grows a different variety of mango. India has more mango varieties than any other nation, thanks to centuries of human horticultural experimentation, and many of these have been grafted onto a single individual in a way that allowed them to keep growing on borrowed rootstock.

“There’s so much to say about my tree. It has been nurtured with immense love, and it holds a lifetime of memories,” Khan tells The Better India. “People should visit my orchard to see the tree and understand the variety of mangoes, each with its distinct qualities.”

A school dropout, Khan began experimenting with grafting in 1957. Finding the healthiest and most deeply-rooted tree in the family orchard, Khan then began grafting branches of other mango varieties onto it.

Grafting is often used in fruit cultivation, and involves attaching the branch taken from one tree onto the base of the trunk, or rootstock, of another. Over time, the branch fuses with the rootstock and begins to grow as normal. Selecting a mature and large Alphonso mango tree, Khan began a grafting process that has continued for decades until it was making world records. In one year, 350 different mango varieties were produced on that one tree.

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Safe to say such a mango machine needs practically round-the-clock maintenance, and Khan’s son Nazimullah is now largely in charge of ensuring its free from pests, that excess rainwater isn’t allowed to pool around the field, that extra water is added during dry periods, and that mangos are harvested when ready.

Kalimullah Khan’s 125-year-old mango tree – credit, family photo released

Some of the varieties grown on the tree are hybrids created by the Khan family, named after famous figures like the Sachin Tendulkar, a legendary cricketer. There’s also a mango named after Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who presented Khan with the Padma Sri, the 4th highest civilian honor of the country.

Growers from as far afield as Dubai and Iran have visited to study the methods of the ‘Mango Man of India.’

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The tree itself is 125 years old, and Khan sees it as a living embodiment of his life’s work.

“People often call me a self-taught scientist, but in reality, it’s the trees who have been my teachers,” he adds. “I have spent my life with these trees, and when my time comes, I wish to be laid to rest beside them, as they have always been a part of me.”

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