Last week, I was driving down Baba Khadak Singh road early
in the morning and as I passed the Hanuman Mandir I gazed upon the vacant space
that was once home to a wholesale flower market in the heart of the city.
Until, it was shifted to Ghazipur earlier this year.
So, I dug deep and retrieved this piece that I had written
in 2010, remembering those good old days when every morning that half a kilometer
stretch of tarmac was an ecstasy for the senses—with God on one side and
colourful, fragrant flowers on the other—both complementing each other
beautifully.
The fragrance of roses and rajnigandha fill the air as
temple bells ring in the background. A trip to the flower market in Connaught
Place is an overwhelming experience for the senses, with the pavement sellers
doing business worth lakhs of rupees every month.
The Hanuman Temple flower market commences business at
around 5 a.m. and closes at 9 a.m. It is India's biggest wholesale cut-flower
market and has been around for 20 years, claim shopkeepers.
Sellers set up temporary stalls outside the Delhi Tourism
and Transportation Development Corporation (DTTDC) coffee house, put up for
sale of flowers (fake and fresh), ferns, decoration items, beautiful bouquet
baskets et al.
According to the shopkeepers, there are over 200 varieties
of flowers in the market.
Kiosks selling coloured sprays, ribbons, decorative tapes,
fancy wrapping papers, scissors and other things complement the flowers.
The market exports flowers worth lakhs of rupees every month
worldwide especially to countries like Russia, Holland, Japan, Bangladesh,
Pakistan.
Apart from the wholesalers, the market was thronged by
several Delhiites hunting for a bargain. A carnation which used to sell outside
for Rs.15-20 could be bought there for a mere Rs.5 making the deal irresistible.
