Lucknow, May 5 : Marigolds are wilting, orders for orchids, tube roses, and gladioli have been cancelled and most of the florists have shut shop in Lucknow.
For the second consecutive year, the flower business is wilting following the second wave of the pandemic and the restrictions on public events.
The state government has imposed restrictions that do not allow more than five persons, at a time, to enter temples.
Most of the temples have put up barricades to prevent devotees form coming up.
Offerings of 'prasad' are also not being accepted.
"I have a flower shop at Mankameshwar temple on Mondays, at Hanuman Setu temple on Tuesdays, at Sai temple on Thursdays and at Shani temple on Saturdays.
Earlier I would buy fresh flowers and they would last the entire week. Now my hopes and the flowers have wilted. Devotees are not coming and the few who come, do not buy prasad or flowers because they cannot go inside the temples," said Ravindra, a flower seller.
Ravindra said that before the pandemic, he would earn up to Rs 800 to 900 every day.
"Now there are no sales," he said.
He said that once the closure in UP is lifted, he would start selling toys at traffic signals to make a living.
Sitaram, who used to sell garlands made of jasmine flowers and was one of the most sought-after flower sellers at Hanuman Setu temple, said that his business has shut down completely.
"Jasmine flowers do not have a long shelf life and wilt within hours.
I have stopped the business until the restrictions are eased," he said.
Ram Prasad Tiwari, a priest at the Hanuman temple in Chowk area, said that in normal times, the temple would have 90 to 100 kgs of flowers as offerings on every Tuesday and Saturday.
"We would give them to a woman's self-help group that makes incense sticks out of waste flowers.
But now the ban on flowers as offerings has left these women jobless too," he said.
Flower sellers are also upset that the restrictions will impact the festival of 'Bada Mangal' that is held on every Tuesday in the month of Jayestha and is peculiar to Lucknow.
"Bada Mangal' begins on May 21 and people get Hanuman temples decorated with marigold flowers as an offering.
"If the restrictions continue, our business will take a massive beating. This will be the second year in a row when 'Bada Mangal' will not be celebrated in the traditional manner," said the priest at Hanuman temple in Chowk.
Florists, who were also pinning their hopes on the ongoing wedding season, are also disappointed.
"People are not spending on flower decorations due to the restriction on number of guests.
After June 30, wedding season will be back in November. We will have no business until the ban of floral offerings is lifted," said Uttam, a flower wholesaler.
Moreover, with public gatherings also banned, the sale of bouquets and garlands has also taken a hit.
Hotels have also stopped floral decorations because the customer footfall is minimal.
"The entire flower industry is facing huge losses.
Flowers do not have a shelf life and flower crops are wilting in the fields due to lack of demand. It will take us several months to recover business," said Uttam.
--IANS
amita/vd.
Source: IANS