Gautam Flower Shop

Lil Niwas is where we set up. It is right by the station in Ghatkopar East, so there is no shortage of people walking past. Sri Nagar is a lively area. The shop is small, just enough for the buckets and a couple of stools. Gautam started this a long time ago. We get the marigolds and roses delivered in large sacks. The floor is usually covered in discarded leaves and bits of string. It smells like a garden even when the traffic outside is bad. We don't have a cooling system, just a ceiling fan that wobbles a bit. You have to keep splashing water on the petals so they don't dry out. People coming from the station are always in a rush. They grab a garland and run for their train. We see the same faces every day. There is an old lady who buys one jasmine string every Tuesday. We know her name, she knows ours. That is how it works here. It isn’t a glamorous job. Your hands get stained and the work starts way before the sun is up. But it is steady. We don't bother with fancy packaging. Just old newspapers and rubber bands. It works for us and it works for the customers. We are just a part of the daily routine in this little corner of Bangalore and Ghatkopar. It’s home. The trains keep whistling in the background, but we don't even notice it anymore.