Sri Renukamba Flower Crafts

Down in Anekal, we’re at Siri Complex on Versova Road. Our shop is at number 7. We call it flower crafts because we do a lot of the traditional stringing and arrangements. It’s not just putting stems in a vase here. We spend hours sitting on small stools, threading jasmine or marigolds for garlands. It’s hard on the neck and eyes, but it’s what we do. The smell of the jasmine is really strong in the mornings, which is nice. The shop is quite small, and we have to keep most of the floor clear so we can work on the larger pieces. Sometimes it gets a bit messy with all the thread and the cut-off ends of the flowers lying around. We don’t have a big sign or anything flashy. People just know we are here in the complex. Versova Road can be a bit dusty, so I’m always wiping down the counters with a rag. Most of our customers are locals who have been coming to us for years. They know if they want something specific, they should come early before the stock runs out. I try to keep the prices fair, depending on what the market cost was that morning. It fluctuates a lot based on the season. Sometimes the monsoon makes it hard to get good stock, but we manage with what we have. It’s a simple business, run by people who just want to get through the day.