Phool Galli : Dadar Flower Market Mumbai

Feast for eyes and nose : Dadar Flower Market 

Last year on this day, I ventured into the biggest flower trading market of India around 5.30 am. Little late to arrive as major part of  trading was almost over ! 

In fact,  watching trading of huge stock of flowers from different parts of Maharashtra ,  other states, abroad was simply a sheer pleasure. Many colors many shapes, many size and many fragnace.  

I was in the middle of Dadar flower  market or Phool Galli not far away on the East side of Dadar station. 

Site was chaotically beautiful between . It is the mother hen of all tiny, small and big flower stores.  

Chaotic. Busy. Crazy.

Apart from offering olfactory pleasure, the sights of flower market in Mumbai are a feast for the eyes! No wonder that the Phool Gali is immensely popular with the budding and amateur photographers for photo walking. This is where they can capture raw emotions, random lconversations, animated expressions and human interactions at their best! 

No Snapchat filters and no Photoshop!  Besides, the vibrant and colorful hues of flowers juxtaposed with Mumbai sky, oh, one would never want to leave that such a thing to a chance.

Vendors can be seen wrapping up the flowers in neatly rolled bundles, making sure they’re vibrant by sprinkling them with water, and proudly showing off their collection of fine florals. In the midst of that they hustle to attract customers with wholesale prices. It almost seems like not only do they expect to bargain, but they also enjoy

The customers are tough too ! Old and young…a lot of them are regulars who come to buy fresh marigolds for their morning prayers and then there are others who aren’t regular but woke up early to buy something more exotic for a special occasion.

Mumbai’s intake of flowers is 1,560 tonnes of flowers from India and abroad every day( I do not have figures during pandemic time as there is a huge slide in trade) – more than any other part of the country. While there have always been weddings and events in star hotels , halls, the quality and varieties of flowers used in decorations reflects far more expensive tastes in recent years. Roses and carnations are considered everyday flowers and are sold for cheap. But orchids, lilies and other imported flowers could go for as much as Rs 100 for a bouquet of six or seven flowers.

I captured images of market , few of them I  share