A mango has been named “Yogi” in Uttar Pradesh.
Lucknow-based horticulturist Haji Kalimullah decided to tip his hat to the state’s new chief minister Adityanath in this peculiar fashion this summer after previously naming a mango after Prime Minister Narendra Modi as well, PTI reported on Sunday. Kalimullah said the Yogi mango, grown in his orchard in the Malihabad area, is a hybrid of the Karela and Dussehri varieties, reported The Times of India.
However, the 74-year-old makes no promises that it will taste good. “As the mango is still not ripe, nothing can be said about its taste, but I hope it will be good,” he told PTI.
Kalimullah’s penchant for naming his fruits after people is not limited to political personalities. Actor Aishwarya Rai and cricketer Sachin Tendulkar have also been given such an honour. He does this “to make the legends immortal”, he says.
Kalimullah’s five-acre orchard has a mango tree that he says is about a century old. He has been growing different varieties on it since 1987. He has managed to grow at least 300 kinds of mangoes on it so far. His grafting skills have won him the Padma Shri and the Udyan Pandit awards in the past.
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