Spreading fragrance tokeep kitchens warm

Selling flowers — a shining business for women!

Flowers are a powerful medium of fragrance which evokes nice feelings and positive vibration. Women are particularly fond of flowers. They not only love to adorn themselves with different varieties of flowers, but are also adept in selling flowers. I noticed that a 100-feet stretch in Lattice Bridge Road is strewn with a score of flower vendors on either side, all of whom are women! Even the policemen turn a blind eye to these encroachments on the platform, perhaps as these women depend on this for their livelihood. In all probability, the men in these households are addicted to drinks and women have to don the role of bread-winners.

The general belief is that women are prone to risk-aversion and business is not their cup of tea. But these semi-literate women selling flowers disprove these myths. Flowers are the most perishable commodity, with a good percentage of wastage due to its inherent nature, environment and handling. The entire stock has to be sold within a span of 12-15 hours and the cost has to be recovered with a profit margin. The fact that these women are surviving in this competitive business indicates that they have mastered the techniques without attending any B-School!

The investment for setting up a selling point is minimal. A deal-wood box or a slightly raised table-like structure is sufficient. These vendors have a wonderful marketing strategy. The shops are positioned near the bus-stands, temples and malls which are frequented by a large clientele. These women have also learnt the art of market segmentation. When jasmine season arrives and the prices tumble, they cater to those customers who want loose flowers, ‘udhiri' as it is called! They can deal with large volume and reap the benefits thereof. On the other hand, those who buy also get the advantage of more cubits and derive the value for money. Yet another angle is that women consider this as a pleasurable exercise for fingers, maintaining the nimbleness.

The flower-sellers are technology-savvy too! They have switched over from banana-leaf to plastic bags to fold the flowers and from banana-fibre to silk-thread to make garlands. Their entry into mobile connectivity is, of course, a stale fact by now. Some of them provide door-delivery, solving the logistics problems of the elders.

Hats off to these women with enterprising spirit and sustained energy, who spread fragrance in our life, to keep their oven in the kitchen warm!

(The author is a former Financial Commissioner, Indian Railways).

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