Shri Siddhivinayak Flower Stall

Our stall is right on the main road in Prabhadevi, very close to the temple. Because of where we are, the pace is different from a normal shop. It starts very early, sometimes while the streetlights are still on. The whole area smells like incense and damp earth. We set out the garlands and the loose flowers on the wooden planks. There are always people walking toward the temple, even on weekdays. You hear the bells ringing and the sound of the traffic mixing together all day long. It gets very crowded on Tuesdays, and we barely have a moment to breathe. We just keep stringing the flowers together as fast as we can. Our hands get stained yellow and orange from the marigolds. It’s a small space, so we have to stay organized or we won't have room to move. We don’t have any fancy displays, just the usual buckets and baskets. The rain can be a problem since we’re so close to the road, so we use plastic sheets to keep the flowers from getting ruined. Most of the people who stop by are regulars who have been coming to this temple for years. They know exactly what they want. We don’t say much, just hand over the flowers and take the change. By the time evening comes, the stock is usually low and we start thinking about packing up the empty crates for the next day.