'Doctor Mango', a tribute to corona warriors

Lucknow: With the entire country saluting the Corona warriors, it is now nature that is expressing its gratitude to the services being offered by health workers. Haji Kalimullah, a mango grower popularly known as 'Mango Man', has developed a new variety of the fruit and named it as 'Doctor Mango' as a tribute to the selfless service of doctors in fighting against Coronavirus.

'Doctor Mango' belongs to the 'Dussheri' variety of mangoes and is said to be sweeter with a longer shelf life. Haji Kalimullah is an Indian horticulturist and fruit breeder, known for his accomplishments in breeding mangoes and other fruits in Malihabad on the outskirts of Lucknow.

He is known to have grown over 300 different varieties of mangoes on a single tree, using grafting techniques. Kalimullah, a Padma Shri awardee, owns orchards in the mango belt of Malihabad. He is popular for a number of mango varieties and naming them after celebrities.

His mango varieties include those named after Prime Minister Narendra Modi, union home minister Amit Shah, Bollywood actor Aishwarya Rai, cricketer Sachin Tendulkar and several others. Anarkali, a variety of mango developed by him is reported to have two different skins and two different layers of pulp, each having a different taste.

The mango crop, this season, has been severely hit by inclement weather and frequent hailstorms. The export of mangoes has also been affected due to the lockdown.