'Sonia aam' for the aam aadmi this season

Grafting expert and Padamshree horticulturist Haji Kaleemullah Khan developed the variety and named it 'Sonia aam'.

"I am trying to meet Soniaji to apprise her about the mango variety, which would be ready by the second week of June," Kaleemullah told PTI.

"The colour of the mango is golden and it has a lot of pulp. I think it will be appreciated once it came to the market," Kaleemullah, who had earlier developed mangoes and guavas in the name of Bollywood star Aishwarya said.

The horticulturist, who is based in the mango-belt of Malihabad, is known for growing unique variety of fruits especially mangoes. In May last year, the 70-year-old Khan grafted a new variety of mango, which he named after batsman Sachin Tendulkar.

He said he was a seven standard dropout and has been looking after the family business since 1957.

"My family's record in this business goes back to 150 years. I am more interested in developing different varieties on a single tree and began the multiple grafting process," he said.

Kaleemullah won the Padmashree for growing more than 300 varieties of mangoes of different shapes and sizes on a tree. The tree is about 100 years old and he started working on it in 1987 to develop the craft of growing different varieties on one tree.