- By Deepa Krishnan
On a rainy day, the wholesale flower market in Dadar is a great place for photography enthusiasts.
It is an indoor market, so you can walk around without worrying about getting your camera wet. Of course, you have to slosh through a messy floor, but the colours are so fantastic that it is well worth it.
The business is wholesale, and flowers are sold in bulk to wedding decorators and event managers. A lot of business is transacted over the phone (repeat customers, established relationships). But many people come to haggle and buy, especially when they need a lot of flowers. Also, small local flower-sellers in the city come here in person to buy their daily stocks. They buy not only flowers, but also the leaves that are used as wrapping, and thread as well, to tie it all together.
From the wholesale market, these flowers then make their way to local street stalls, to be fashioned into garlands or "veni" for the hair. I clicked this photo of one flower-seller at our local market, she was stringing a garland in the traditional way using her toes to hold the thread.
Isn't this veni gorgeous?!! Makes me wish I had longer hair, just so that I could wear this!
The best time of day to go to the Dadar flower market is early in the morning, when the flowers arrive. The stocks are freshly stacked, phones are buzzing, buyers are haggling and business is brisk. By about 9:00 a.m. the day's major business almost comes to a close, although there are many shops still open until 10:00 a.m.
This one is the new market right? the complex built for the wholesale dealers? I used to go to the flower market under the dadar bridge for all these years and only recently learnt that this one was the real wholesale market, and was actually quite near!! went there last year for getting flowers for the varalakshmi puja.. and will go again this year.. this post reminds me to carry my camera along this time!
ReplyDeletei miss good old chai.
ReplyDeletei miss good old chai..great blog
ReplyDeletei miss good old chai
ReplyDeletewhen i took my husband on a Bombay darshan - this was one of them.
ReplyDeletethe pulse of this market in the sea of crowds is a phenomenon not seen in the flower districts that i have seen in chelsea or in dallas.
bombay indeed has a "bambai" take on everything of its own
You point out interestingly that the flowers are picked up in bulk by wedding decorators and event managers. It is always intriguing to think about the many different routes the flowers take after they arrive at a wholesale market - going to temples, marriages, funerals, political events!! It was good to read your post. I am linking to it here: http://indianbazaars.blogspot.in/2012/04/bazaars-of-india-listing.html
ReplyDeleteHey have you guys heard about mumbaipedia. Its a big hoarding on the western express highway. Its been done by some omkar. Does any one know about it?
ReplyDeletehow do I get to this market? I live south of dadar.
ReplyDeleteIt's on Tulsi Pipe Road, between Dadar and Parel.
ReplyDeleteMy friend who is a florist had gone to this market. She had so much praises about it, saying how fantastic it was to be there.
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There are so many facts, myths, and legends revolving around flowers that rather than just Flowers and their silent language have a rich and long history in human civilization it is nice post regarding flora and fauna.Keep posting such a informatic post.....
ReplyDeleteFlowers are definitely the best gift for every occasion.
ReplyDeleteIs it open on Sundays ?
ReplyDelete