THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Tuesday saw the prices of flowers taking a big leap, thanks to ‘Atham’ that falls on Wednesday. For ten days from now, you could spot ‘atha pookalams’ all over the place, at every turning, every junction, in front of offices, schools and business houses. No wonder the price of common ‘pookalam’ items like ‘vadamalli’ and ‘jamanti’ increased by Rs 30 on Tuesday alone. The most sought after are not just the two, but various colour variants of ‘jamanti’, ‘arali’, and tube roses. There is also the demand for lotus, though not in huge numbers. According to Rajan, who owns C S Flower stores at Chalai, the flowers like ‘jamanti’ and ‘vadamula’ comes from Thovala. However, the different varieties of roses and other flowers fly from Bangalore at this time of the year. ‘’The rose gardens would be in full gloom there now. So, they lent it out for film shootings and by atham day begins to pluck them and pack them off to places like Kerala, where the festival season is on,’’ says Rajan. According to Ganesh, another flower merchant in Chalai, the ‘vadamalli’ and ‘jamanti’ are bought in huge numbers-like 15 to 20 kilos by the buyers for a ‘pookalam’. However, the other flowers are bought less. It is the government officials who make a beeline to the market, they say. ‘’They buy in huge numbers for laying the flower carpets, maybe for competitions. What we see out in the streets are usually laid using coloured salt or rangoli. Real flowers are more used by organisations, colleges and offices,’’ says Rajan. For one kilo of ‘vadamalli’, you have to fish out Rs 150 from your purse. For varieties of jamanti, it would cost Rs 100. ‘Arali’ would cost Rs 150 for a kilo, and white ‘arali’ would cost Rs 200. ‘’You might get it for Rs 40 or 50. But the quantity would be less, maybe just 300 gm,’’ says a merchant. Whatever be the price, there is no festivity without flowers. The merchants sure know the flowers would fetch them a fortune, the one they wait for, every festival time.
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