Of Colour and Fragrance

Ever wondered where the flowers you see in weddings, special national holidays or even the vase in your living room come from? How many hands they change before they get to city shops? How much effort is put into growing them? Farmers in several villages in Jhikargachha upazila of Jessore only grow flowers and nothing else. From roses to tuberoses, gladioli and gerbera, all are grown in the upazila. In the photos, farmers are seen working in their fields, nurturing the flowers in Panishara village of the upazila and then taking their produce to Gatkhali Bazar to sell to traders. The traders sell the flowers to other trader in the capital and ship them on trucks. In the wee hours, wholesale markets pop up at places like Shahbagh and Khamarbari in the capital and retailers buy their flowers from there. Before city dwellers get out of their homes to get to work, the wholesale markets disappear. The flowers of Jessore end up in posh shops of Gulshan and Banani where they are made into bouquets and sold for handsome amounts.

Photo: Rashed Shumon