Exotic mangoes blossom in Kakori

LUCKNOW: Florida and South Africa may be separated by 13,000 kilometres but they have a common meeting point – a mango orchard on the Kakori Road, about 25 km from Lucknow. The mango varieties of these two places are grown side by side in this orchard.
Mangoes are omnipresent at this place and the air is imbued with the smell of ripened mangoes. The orchard has more than 200 varieties of the King of fruits.And it’s surprise to see the non-native varieties blossoming so well.
"Due to change in climatic conditions, varieties ripe late here, but the taste remains the same,"orchard owner SC Shukla said. He added that 'Tom Atkins', a mango from Florida, with red patches on green coat and slightly longish, grows along 'sensation'from South Africa. These two mango varieties have a longer shelf life. They are fibrous, less sweet and mostly demanded abroad. However, the varieties are not readily available in the local markets, and are yet to be relished in India. "Places like mandis and fruits and vegetable stores sell them, but in small quantity,"Shukla said.
The caretakers said though the orchard has always been full of local varieties, the "international"ones were added about seven-eight years ago. The reason for different varieties growing successfully could be organic farming. Only manure made from rotten leaves is fed to these trees.
At least four of the orchard varieties were certified by the Central Institute for Subtropical Horticulture (CISH) as the best or the second best at a mango show held in the city recently. Husn-e-ara, the Lucknow variety from the orchard, won the award in the coloured variety category. This 42-bigha orchard on Kakori Road has been nurtured by generations. "I remember of mangoes ever since I came of age,"Shukla said. It was the urge to experiment which has given it a different look. This has made it possible to grow Jardalu, a local variety, alongside Banganapalli, a Safeda-like variety found down South, he added.
A single tree may have a hybrid Mallika, Ramkela (the best variety for making mango pickles), a late ripening Amrapali, and local varieties like Gulab Khas, Langda and Lakhnauva Safeda. There's also Najuk Badan, a mango that ruptures into two halves at the slightest drop, and the Maharashtrian varieties like Alphonso and Bambaiya. For mango connoisseurs, there is 2.5 kg Haathi-Jhul and Jauhri, a mango which is white inside.
No wonder, the orchard has hosted various mango lovers, from politicians, bureaucrats, heads of top-notch institutions to celebrities. The orchard also has a variety named by late UP governor Vishnu Kant Shastri.