The modest rose puts forth a thorn:
The humble sheep, a threatening horn:
While the lily white, shall in love delight,
Nor a thorn nor a threat stain her beauty bright
— William Blake
Nor a thorn nor a threat but pestilence has caused the pristine lily to wither.
Even the lily, the undying symbol of purity, has not been left unsullied by the pandemic as the flowers wilted in shops for want of buyers on New Year.
The first day of the year is bloom time for florists in Bhubaneswar, with demand peaking for white lilies as it is Odisha chief minister Naveen Patnaik’s favourite flower. But with the fast-spreading omicron variant of the coronavirus forcing people indoors once again for a muted New Year, there were hardly any takers for the popular gift item.
Lilies and other flowers sell in bulk on New Year and the turnover of florists in the Odisha capital run into lakhs on this day of joy and merriment.
However, with Naveen Nivas, the chief minister’s residence, out of bounds for visitors owing to the pandemic, florists suffered heavy losses, especially because lilies are expensive.
Every New Year, politicians, bureaucrats and others make a beeline for Naveen’s residence with bouquets of lilies. But with strict restrictions in place, no one is allowed entry into Naveen Nivas now. “Even leaders of the ruling Biju Janata Dal are not allowed inside,” said a senior official, adding that the chief minister was attending events virtually.
Jajati Biswal, a popular florist in Bhubaneswar who has a shop at the busy CRPF Square, said: “Politicians as well as government officials used to come to my shop in droves to buy white lilies on New Year. But this time there is nobody. The lilies come from Bangalore. A bundle of these flowers (having 10 pieces) costs us Rs 1,700 and we sell for Rs 3,000.”
Naveen, who invariably turns out in milky white kurta-pajama in public, is known for his affection for lilies.
While he himself likes to be gifted white lilies, he presents bouquets of the flower to visiting dignitaries.
High-profile guests such as the Dalai Lama, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Andhra Pradesh chief minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy have been welcomed by Naveen with white lily bouquets.
That is why politicians and bureaucrats make it a point to visit the chief minister with his favourite flower on New Year. “All florists in Bhubaneswar know this and keep at least two bundles of white lilies ready on this day. I had bought five bundles this time but have been able to sell only one so far,” Biswal said.
Another florist, Pabitra Jena, said: “ As the chief minister is not celebrating New Year this time, almost all ministers and IAS and IPS officers have decided to follow suit. Very few are celebrating. It is our loss.”
Florists usually open their shops at the crack of dawn on New Year’s Day. “This time even that was not possible with restrictions on movement of people because of the night curfew that lift at 5am. Earlier, 80 per cent of our sales used to be over by 6am. This time, we could open our shops only at 8am and business did not pick up through the day. Corona has taken a huge toll on us,” said another flower seller.
Apart from white lilies and big red roses that generally come from Bangalore, the other New Year favourites are smaller roses and marigold that reach Bhubaneswar from Calcutta.
“Although there are no official estimates, flower business on New Year here is worth around Rs 50 lakh. This year, it is down to around Rs 10 lakh. Last year too we had met a similar fate. We don’t know when this is going to end,” said a florist.
He said people were rarely buying flowers, even for marriages. “We are getting orders for floral decorations but we have to compromise on price,” the florist said.
The government has banned social and religious gatherings and also picnics at parks, nature clubs, beaches and other recreation spots. No cultural or dance programmes are being allowed at hotels, parks, malls and convention centres. No educational institutions will be permitted to organise excursions or picnics till at least January-end.
