‘Mango man’ Haji Kalimullah names new varieties after Sushmita Sen, Amit Shah
India Today
‘Mango man’ Haji Kalimullah Khan has grown two new varieties of the king of fruits, and in keeping with his custom of naming them after celebrities, christened them ‘Sushmita Aam’ and ‘Amit Shah Aam’.
After giving the world a unique variety of mangoes like the ‘Aishwarya’ and ‘Sachin’, horticulturalist Haji Kalimullah Khan has developed two delicious new hybrids of the king of fruits and named them after celebrities.
This time, the two new varieties have been christened ‘Sushmita Aam’ and ‘Amit Shah Aam’ by Haji Kalimullah Khan. Both were developed and cultivated at his orchard in Malihabad, Uttar Pradesh.
Beautiful and curvy, the ‘Sushmita Aam’ takes its name from former Miss Universe and Bollywood actor Sushmita Sen. Khan said Sen, with her beauty, charity work and two adopted daughters, is lovely on the inside and outside -- just like the new mango variety developed by him.
“I had first named 'Aishwarya Aam' after [the actor] Aishwarya Rai. But I was told about Sushmita Sen much later by someone. I want her beauty to be always in this world, but people should also remember her being a good-hearted person. That's why this mango variety was developed this time and I named it Sushmita after her,” he explained.
As for the ‘Amit Shah Aam’, it was named after BJP heavyweight and Home Minister Amit Shah. Though delicious, Khan, however, says this hybrid needs more work on its size and flavour to match the robust personality of its namesake.
“I have put in a lot of effort, soon the mango will be available to all. What is there now Its taste should be so good that people immediately say that it is indeed ‘Amit Shah’,” he said.
A noted mango cultivator, Haji Kalimullah Khan has been growing distinct hybrids and naming them after public personalities for decades now. The 82-year-old has grown over 300 unique varieties of mangoes like the Mulayam Aam, NaMo Aam, Sachin Aam, Kalam Aam, Amitabh Aam, and Yogi Aam, to name a few.
