Shadow of price rise looms over Onam Pookkalam

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A man sorting flowers at a flower market in Ernakulam north on Tuesday. | Photo Credit: Thulasi Kakkat

The escalating price of flowers is adding a tint of gloom to Pookkalam (floral carpet) across Keralam this Onam.

From flower vendors to city residents, who depend on flowers farmed in neighbouring States to celebrate Onam, everyone is worried about the rising prices of flowers. Yet, the spirit of Onam, like the mythical King Mahabali who comes visiting annually, rises above all adversities during the festival season. For a Keralite, no Onam can be complete without Pookkalam.

The street-side flower vendors in Kochi, mostly women from Tamil Nadu, said the rising prices of the flowers have cast a shadow over their hopes of making some additional income during the festive season.

“I have sold only flowers worth around ₹3,000 since I opened the stall on Saturday. Not many city residents seem to be keen on buying flowers,” rued Sahaya Mary, who sells flowers at at Palarivattom.

Jancy Mary, another vendor who placed orders for ₹50,000 this year, fears that she would incur losses. The prices of flowers have shot up in Coimbatore, she said.

It is mostly marigolds, which are sold at ₹200 a kilo, and globe amaranth (vadamalli), priced from ₹280 a kilo, that are the most sought-after varieties.

Sundararaj, who runs a large Onam flower shop at Ernakulam North, said the sales were progressing steadily. “White chrysanthemum is the costliest among the lots with a price starting from ₹400 a kilo.”

The flowers are brought to Kochi market from from Bengaluru in Karnataka, Hosur and Dindigul in Tamil Nadu.

Prices in Kozhikode have remained largely stable compared with last year, said sellers who source the flowers mainly from Chikkaballapur, Bengaluru and Gundlupet in Karnataka, and Dindigul.

“The business may improve once educational institutions close and people fully enter the Onam mood,” hoped Arjun Sooraj, a seller at Palayam, Vengeri and Vadakara.

The size of an average Pookalam spread in offices and commercial institutions could range anything between two to three metre in diameter and require flowers worth around ₹10,000. The Pookkalams come in different designs and patterns showcasing the traditional art forms to modern art.

“We bought flowers worth ₹7,000 to make pookkalam for the celebration at our office tomorrow,” said two young IT employees, who were coming out of a flower shop. The youngsters said they did not pay much attention to the prices as the pookkalam was an unavoidable ingredient of their celebrations.