36-year-old Kirana Devadiga, a resident of Mangaluru, is a lawyer by profession, and is currently growing Jasmine in pots on the terrace of her house. He says, “These jasmine plants have changed my life. I have planted three jasmine plants in my small balcony. The pleasure that comes from their fragrance exceeds many things.”
Kirana started Growing Jasmine in March last year, during the lockdown. This Shankarpura Mallige Also known as. There are many different names for Jasmine grown in different parts of the country. The fragrance of Udupi Mallige is unmatched and has also got Geographical Indication Tag (GI).
lockdown proved to be a boon
The Better India Talking to Kirana says, “I always had a suppressed desire to cultivate my own land. But being an urban girl, I could never fulfill my dream. The lockdown came as a boon to me. Then I started thinking a lot about my hobby, ‘farming and farming’.”
When the grocery told about this hobby to her sister and husband Mahesh, they laughed. She adds, “He asked me why I want to spend my time growing flowers when the whole world is battling Covid.” Her husband also said that what will a lawyer do as a farmer? But the grocer stuck to her insistence and kept searching for more and more information about the plants.
where there is a will, there is a way
He thought that the farm is not right, but on the terrace, his hobby can be fulfilled. Grocery gathered online information for Terrace Gardening. Then he thought it was easy enough. “You just have to have the passion and patience to grow plants,” she says.
Rajesh, the owner of Mangaluru’s Sahyadri Nursery, helped the grocer to identify the plants that she could easily grow on the terrace. Kirana explains, “First they showed me a hibiscus plant, it is not difficult to grow. But I didn’t see any appeal in that. I wanted to plant some such plants in my pot, which could also increase my regular income, and I found Jasmine perfect for that.”
At the time of the lockdown, the nursery was full of jasmine plants. Kirana said, “In a way it was good for me. Due to the lockdown, people were not buying plants. There were about 90 jasmine plants in the nursery, I bought all the plants.” Grocery spent Rs 3,150 for all the plants, i.e. Rs 35 for one plant.
It was hard work, but happiness was much more
Grocery bought the plants, now only pots were needed. Luck favored the grocery here too. While taking the plants home from the nursery, he saw a hawker who wanted to go back to his home (North India) by selling about a hundred small pots as soon as possible.
She says, “I bought all his pots, one pot was Rs 65. Due to the lockdown, it was not possible to get tempo or auto rickshaw. So I filled the pots in the car and brought them home.”
The next task was to take these pots to the roof of the two-story house. She told, “It took me, my husband and seven-year-old son three full days to bring them to the terrace. We had to do this work on our own without any help. Although it was back-breaking hard work, it was a great pleasure to do it.” The grocer spent the next few days planting the plants in pots and then setting the pots in a row on the terrace.
The fragrance of flowers gives a feeling of freshness
The grocer told that he learned a lot by talking to the owner of the nursery. She says, “In terms of planting and growing plants, I was a complete novice. There was no information about how much water the plants needed and what kind of manure would help it to grow better, soil etc.
He added, “What I learned was either by watching videos on YouTube or by interacting with Terrace Gardeners.” Kirana and Mahesh took care of the plants very carefully for the next three months. She says, “Mahesh gets up earlier in the morning and usually takes care of the plants in the morning. The jasmine buds should be plucked before the first rays of the sun fall.”
She goes to the terrace in the morning only after finishing the household chores. Plants do not need any more soil or manure, they take full care of it. She says, “When the plants started blooming after three months, I did not pluck them. So that the yield can be better. Its freshness is felt only by the fragrance of flowers.
Grocery did a lot of research on the growth of Jasmine. Each research asked to wait at least six months before plucking flowers. So he allowed the plants to become very dense. “When I first plucked the flowers, they were so many that three ‘chendus’ could be made from them,” she says. About 800 flowers are needed to make one chendu. Which are tightly tied with the fiber of the banana stem.
Those who used to make jokes are now together
The grocery had also learned to make chendu on the go. She happily says, “When I started making chendu from Jasmine, my sisters made fun of me. But today, my same sisters help me tie the flowers together. Actually, they are very impressed with the way my plants are flourishing. Now they too have started growing Jasmine.
Grocery spent about Rs 12000 on saplings, pots and manure. At the same time, by selling Jasmine flowers, she has earned about Rs 85,000 so far. “For me, buying a bag of compost was like buying new clothes and jewellery,” she says. Hard work always leads to success, grocery is a great example of this.
In the end she says, “Growing Jasmine is not difficult. Just need to use the time properly. Learn to do things for yourself, your way, instead of complaining about life and making excuses for not having time. No matter how small or big the dream is, don’t let people laugh at it.”
Original article: Vidya Raja
Editing: Archana Dubey
Also read: Years of business came to a standstill in lockdown, but did not give up, now earning in lakhs by selling cakes
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