JASMINE and the JEAN.

Jayanthi · Mar 18, 2010

Long plaits, oh no atleast long hair, that too beautifully decorated with jasmine strands is slowly becoming history. Yeah, I just happened to step out of a restaurant in Chennai at about 10 PM when I was almost bombarded by a frail woman with a basket full of jasmine flowers stranded beautifully unlike the chennai's unique style of making flower strands with a km distance between each flower. The basket full and her face so empty with zero ray of hope clearly showed that she had hardly sold anything that day. What I could do was just get some strands which brought scores of smiles on her face as though I had given her a lakh of rupees. That was enough for me to ask her a question out of true concern as to why she had not sold anything that day. She immediately started non stop pouring her tales of woe well knit with harsh reality.
She started off with an interrogation,"Where is the long hair and the long plait of those days? Leave alone the youngsters,but their moms too, probably considering it hard to manage long hair, are at the doorsteps of salons once it just crosses their shoulder level. Where do people find time to visit temples or friends when the idiot box has kidnapped their free time especially on holidays and festive days when actually I should enjoy peak sales? These days the umpteen TV channels and their so called special programs find a numero uno place in people's priority in the planning during festive celebrations. The major chunk of their time is earmarked for the TV Programs or Theatres. The boom in TV channels has indirectly laid hands on our livelihood. The young and the old are glued to these silent killers of time.
The youngsters are mostly party goers, and if worn then, the poor jasmine becomes a white devil of mockery. Even my regular customers all women in 60's too today have trimmed their hair due to their NRI grandkids' pressure. Sarees especially silk sarees are being so gradually and unknowingly replaced by salwars, skirts and jeans. Every year, right from First January, the Discotheques and night life find a more prominent marking in the calendars than the year end seasonal kutcheris. In this fast pace of life, the jasmine fragrance is also slowly losing it's USP status amongst South Indian women in functions. In today's rat race, noone has time to even stop for a second to buy flowers."
With a deep sigh of disgust she lamented, "I really dont know what to change in me to combat this threatening change in lifestyle as it is my bread and butter." "What happens to these flowers, if not sold?",I just asked her knowing pretty sure that she may not have a refrigerator. She immediately replied, "I offer it to the temples praying that today's changes just be fast to diminish fads and the jasmine craze recapture the hearts of the women, young and old, before I die of starvation."

All I could do that cold nite was to pray for her victory in the cold war between the withering jasmine and the weathering jean. Conscience pricks when other parts feel good and so listening to her made me feel guilty too, giving me a peep into my lifestyle for the first time in a different angle. She made me realise the fate of these sellers, hidden in the fragrance of these flowers.

dblakshmi · Mar 18, 2010

Dear Jayanthi,
I am crazy about this Jasmine. Its fragance rejunuvates the mood. I hail from Madurai. We buy aayirams and aayirams(1000's - units being sold) of jasmines when we visit our hometown. me, my mil and sil's, co-sisters love this flower.
I miss jasmine but i had one fake jasmine flower strand which i gave away to my friend for her function.
regards
Lakshmi

Tubelight · Mar 19, 2010

Hi !

A lovely article which made one sigh ! I had never given a thought before to the disappearance of long hair being a livelihood- threatening change for some people.
Though adorning hair with flowers is no longer a daily routine, we still see those lovely jasmine strings used during weddings and festivals. Even short haired ladies clip a piece to their hair ! And we have seen foreigners wrapping long strings of jasmine around their wrists and neck ! So there's at least a small market for flowers ! Otherwise, the only place for the flower lady is the temple.

radsahana · Mar 20, 2010

hi jayanthi,

Welcome to the snippets corner!. You have very nicely narrated the woe of flower vendors.

Till now we wouldn't,t have thought in that angle about modernisation!!!!!!!.

Hey we used to buy flowers daily, for god, and on occassions, for our hairs too.

But you know in Mumbai, in Thane there is a place called "Vrindavan", it is a mini mylapore, and there are 3 lady flower vendors,who comes from other place, to sell there, and they sell off everything before they go home. All 3 of them, earn their livelihood without much competition, means there is so much demand for the flowers.

And on festivals, we sometime dont even get 1 mozhaum also.

Deaf woman · Mar 20, 2010

Hi,
Never thought of the flower girl until i read your snippets.True we rarely see girls wearing flowers now .As for me, i love them and try to buy at every opportunity.Good to see you with such a beautiful snippet here.

parusabari · Mar 20, 2010

Hi dear,

The snippet really shows the way the youngsters are running towards been branded as modern.
Is it old fashioned to plait your hair and then wear those heavenly smelling jasmine flowers. Well it depends on one's thinking and liking.
I today,though of am 30 years to tell the truth daily plait my hair twice a day and every friday and tuesday customarily wear jasmine flowers.In chennai when we go for a vacation we daily buy flowers- the white ones, the orange coloured non smelling- kanakabharam, the strongly smelling- pichi poo , and the lovely fragrant- yellow colour- shembakam or nagvalli poo

A pottu on the forehead, small jimki's in the ear, a small neckalce adoring the neck and the hair been dressed with lovely smelling flowers- imagine a girl dressed up like this - no beauty in jeans can beat the angel dressed up in the traditional avatar.
Though i have seen people in jeans and yes i have heard it is comfortable for travelling and also maintaining let not the great tamilnadu style of hair adorned with flowers become history.
Hope many people read this snippet of yours and realise that flowers are the least costly jewellery which will make one look beautiful.

Love,
Parvathi.

monifa13 · Mar 20, 2010

Yes Jayanthi - I too love all kinds of fragrant flowers like Malli,Mullai and Jadhi. My home town Trichy was and probably even now is famous for it's Thanjavoor Kadhambam. Even in those days it was very expensive. Whenever I go to India I do wear flowers on my hair even now. Here in our apartment I have two jasmine plants and whenever they flower I string them and wear it and my DH calls me 'Villager' :rotfl

knot2share · Mar 21, 2010

Hi Jayathi

It is really unfortunate for these flower vendors. In spite of all the modernisation, I thought Chennai still was holding on to some of the old practices. I love jasmine flowers. It has always been a craze right from college days when we used to get a lot more for just Rs 1. During my wedding that was one thing I never complained. I loved having lots and lots of those flowers on me!!

Parvathi - Your post is taking me on a beautiful ride. I can smell those flowers right now!!!

gjaya · Mar 21, 2010

Dear Jayanthi,

I love jasmine flowers...we call in Kannada Mallige huvva. Oh god how I miss those here in US. Whenever I visit India I make sure I adorn my hair with jasmine flowers and plus my DH just loves those on my hair. ;-)

I was saddened to hear the flower lady's woes about people not buying them anymore. True to some extent I think.

Loved the way your have written Jayanthi. :thumbsup

Jaya

BeeAmma · Mar 21, 2010

Nice read. If we have a couple of tv serial heroines wear malli strands, the average person will also start wearing them.

Btw, people can still use them in their everyday worship also. They can also reinvent it for everyday apartment aromatherapy.

Smell of fresh jasmines is unbeatable.