Kolkata`s Mullik Ghat flower market, near the Howrah bridge, is an incredible display of colourful flowers in a seriously chaotic & vibrant atmosphere. The people of Kolkata come to Mullik Ghat to buy bulk quantities of flowers daily. With the city itself having more than 15 million inhabitants the market is always frenetic, so this has to be a place of serious financial flower power. It is a wholesale market & is the largest flower market in Asia. Ramshackle definitely, but thriving, flowers are big business here, an essential element in temple rituals & offerings, of weddings & festivals. Wholesalers also export flowers to the rest of India & even to Europe, bought from these rickety stalls from sellers who simply spread their wares out on the pavement. The roads & lanes are very narrow & despite this, optimistic drivers still manage to weave their way through the chaos in trucks. While flower-sellers patiently drag their displays out of harm`s way, other passers-by helpfully bang on the side of the vehicle to signal there`s room to move & the driver himself keeps the horn blaring constantly, just in case his presence hasn`t been noticed. It`s not advisable to avert one`s gaze from the road... Flower sellers are extremely protective of their delicate blooms, & although stray petals, leaves, stems & newspapers are strewn everywhere, not everything one stands on is fragrant.
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