Blossoms For All

Crowded,bustling and vibrant,this market has one advantage over others – of smelling very good. With almost every hue of the rainbow on display,the flower market at the Gultekdi Market Yard in Bibwewadi is a delight to all the five senses.

Opening at the crack of dawn,the market sees buyers and sellers from all across Pune district. Varieties of marigold,roses,tulips,nishigandh,pinwheel flowers,orchids,gerbera and other exotic flowers are stacked neatly in piles. Dattatray Gulabrao Gole,a 32-year-old flower seller from Fursungi,gets around 4,000 roses to this market every day. “We have a rose garden there. Since this is the season for roses,many florists and decorators buy in bulk from me,” he says. After transporting the roses to the market,he trims the leaves,snips the stems and ties up the roses in bunches of 10-12 flowers. These are then sold for Rs 10-15 per bunch,depending upon the type and colour of the roses. “The cost of flowers varies according to season and occasion and hence profit margins are tight. Bulk orders can’t be placed in the market unless there is huge demand,” says Gole,adding that the roses have to be sold within four days.

A little further down sits Manisha Vitthal Pawar with her basket of large lotus buds. The colour,a translucent pink,shows the delicate nature of the flowers. Pawar explains that these lotuses have a very short shelf-life — the blossomed flowers last only a day. “We get them from Gujarat in a bus. People usually buy them to offer it to Lord Ganesha. It is supposed to be his favourite flower,” she says. Priced at Rs 10 per flower,these lotuses sell like hot cakes.

Most of the shopkeepers here maintain that there is a huge market for medium-sized flower arrangements. People do not order common flowers every day and the demand for exotic ornamental flowers depends on the season,but the growing use of flowers for venue decorations and gifting has given a major push to retail flower market. Pramod Doke,who deals with exotic imported flowers,says,“Flowers have always been an all-purpose gift. Right from birthdays to celebrations and special occasions,flowers play an important role in the mood of the occasion.” Doke keeps orchids,carnations and gerbera,imported from Thailand.