Red roses symbolize Valentine’s love, but vulnerable to climate change: Report
Nearly 60 per cent of all exported roses come from five countries in the global south which face growing dangers from extreme weather.
The emergence of a large number of flower shops at street corners confirms that Valentine’s Day has come. It is no longer a festival confined to Connaught Place or some posh malls. Most major festivals in the capital have become localised.
There is a flood of roses and bouquets available with florists. Most flower shops are run by gardeners but they depend heavily on flower “mandis” for their stocks. Bargaining is one thing they don’t like.
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A reason for the success of such festivals is that youth today spends plenty of time outdoors. Any evening, one can see young couples or groups of young friends enjoying tea or coffee at open-air parts of eateries.
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Only a diehard will go to Connaught Place or South Extension. The city is localised now. Every locality is complete in all respects. There are traffic problems in using private vehicles to go to distant places.
The local markets are decorated with elaborate lighting. One has noticed this increasingly during intervals in Covid-19 restrictions. Metro gates had become favourite spot to sell roses to young customers.
The closure of half of the gates now reduces places where the young rose sellers can catch their possible customers.
They often follow the young couples right up to the end of the staircases. They know they have limited days and time to sell the flowers and earn some money. Literacy about Valentine’s Day on 14 February each year has grown tremendously.
The young flowers know the day is a celebration of love and the young can be convinced easily. It does make a happy scene in public after the battering the city has got during the pandemic waves. The festival comes as winter is starting to lose some of its chills.
Gardens and parks in the city are already looking their best in the wake of Vasant Panchami. In some parts, even traffic roundabouts on major roads are teeming with reds and yellows. The spell of rains that began recently is ending, allowing the sun to come out clear and shower its warmth all around.
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