Kalimullah Khan was never meant to become a scientist. He failed Class 7, dropped out of school, and spent his days wandering his family’s mango orchard in Malihabad, Uttar Pradesh. But what he lacked in formal education, he made up for in instinct — and an idea no one else dared to imagine: what if a single tree could grow hundreds of different mangoes?

Today, the 84-year-old is a Padma Shri awardee, known across the country as the ‘Mango Man of India’. His name is in the Limca Book of Records, and his orchard has become a living laboratory — home to a tree that bears more than 350 distinct varieties of mangoes.

But Kalimullah doesn’t speak of success. He speaks of soil, failure, grafting, and love — the kind of quiet work that has kept him rooted to the same land for over six decades.

“I may not have the energy to speak much today, as age has taken its toll, but I will share what I can. There’s so much to say about my tree. It has been nurtured with immense love, and it holds a lifetime of memories,” Kalimullah tells The Better India. “People should visit my orchard to see the tree and understand the variety of mangoes, each with its distinct qualities,” he proudly shared.

Building a life around mangoes

Khan’s innovative approach to grafting has earned him national and international recognition. This ancient technique, which involves joining a branch from one tree to the rootstock of another, has been used in agriculture for centuries. Through his research and years of hard work, he has created a mango tree that bears a staggering 350 varieties of mangoes.

However, becoming one of India’s most respected horticulturists meant stumbling, starting over, and figuring things out the hard way. Kalimullah dropped out of school after failing in Class 7 and started tending to the mango orchard after his grandfather passed away. It was here, among the mango trees, that he found his calling. “I was never interested in studies, and when I began working in the orchard, I realised I can work hard in areas I am interested in,” he recalls.

In 1957, inspired by an idea that came to him almost by chance, he decided to attempt something that nobody in his family could think of. He planted a tree that would bear seven different varieties of mangoes. But nature had other plans. That year, heavy floods destroyed the tree.

“From that one situation, I learnt how to handle flooding in soil,” he adds.

Despite the setback, he began experimenting with grafting and started intense research on it. By 1987, he started grafting different mango varieties........

© The Better India