Valentine's day - some company decided to sell their greeting cards and the idea turned into a good business......seriously, it has done our economy well.
The below article was first published in Financial express dated 12 feb,2020
Stop and smell the roses – I literally follow this age old good advice when I travel to Hosur via Bangalore or Salem. Every time I travel this route, I stop by the many rose farms and poly houses, to soak in the beauty of every whorl and colour of the beautiful roses. The gardeners and farmers are very warm and welcoming. Each time I stop by, we share conversations, they invite us home for lunch or offer a glass of butter milk. They are also very generous to give me bonus in the form of a rose plant, tomatoes, chayote, Brinjals or whatever they grow.
Hosur is a little historical, industrial and agricultural town in the state of Tamil Nadu. A very humble town which is not proud of its various honours, perhaps the reason it is not so popular. All around the town if you observe, you will find historical and archaeological evidences that pre-dates this town to 2000 years. During Sangam-age it was called ‘Muraasu nadu’ and ruled by King Adiyamaan, the King who gave gooseberry to Tamil poetess Avaiyaar to prolong her life. The Cholas, Rajputs, Nayaks, Hoysalas, British East India during Lord Cornwallis time, Tipu sultan and many more have ruled this place.
This town is home to many small scale and large scale industries producing automobile bodies, automotive spares, high precision aero parts, watches, bio-tech, agriculture, tissue culture, pharmaceuticals and many more. A place which cannot be classified as a 'laid back' town or a 'hyper-active' town, It takes a middle path. From what I have observed generally, people here have the approach of ‘Work while you work, play while you play’. Maybe because majority of them have jobs with 9-5 schedules in Industries unlike many MNCs which work across different time zones.
One of its prime revenue generator is through its horticulture and floriculture exports. Hosur soil is said to be very fertile and ideal to grow European vegetables like broccoli, carrot, beets, bell peppers, asparagus etc. This is possible not only because of the fertile soil but also because this place is elevated 3000ft above sea level and thus enjoys a compatible and salubrious climate, all round the year. The weather is the reason why the Britishers called this place as “India’s Little England” during their rule. Tons of vegetables are exported to other parts of the country and this town also houses prime floriculture companies.
Many agri-export companies based here have their project sites around the main town like Denkanikottai, Bagalur, Thally etc. They breed, cultivate and export flowers like carnation, lilies, gerbera and the world famous valentine red rose called ‘Taj Mahal’. This variety created by a rose breeder in Holland is patented and cultivated in Hosur. It is a deep red budded rose with long stalk and big leaves. Another rose by name ‘Kohinoor’ which is a baby orange-pink rose is also cultivated here. The main markets for these flowers are Europe, Australia, The Middle East and Japan. The valentine rose was patented in 2009 and the exports have been doubled, tripled and some years they dip too.
Talking to a rose grower, in Bagalur (near Hosur), who was growing the Damask rose popularly called ‘Paneer rose’, said he also grows cassandra, chrysanthemum, marigold, tuberose for domestic and international markets. The flowers he grows are auctioned in the famous Hosur flower markets to retailers where they reach homes for daily pooja or special occasions like wedding.
But with passage of time, flowers have gone beyond decorating gods, sacred spaces and many other places. They now decorate office establishments, living rooms, as gifts etc. He said growing flowers now is a highly competitive industry. With introduction of new techniques, cultivators now grow and develop new flowers which leads to change in the trend of consumers. The new generation employ modern technology, maximise the production and offer better quality of flowers and thereby, a better price. He said the developed cut flowers like the valentine roses are grown in poly houses under controlled conditions. The buds are covered with netted bud caps so their shape remains in the bud form. Their petals are also thick so that they can withstand long distance travels. The flowers grown here travel in refrigerated vans to Bangalore and then are airlifted to various countries like Amsterdam, Germany, Abu Dhabi, Singapore, Australia etc. Recently, an Intellectual property attorney has also applied for GI tag for the “Hosur roses”.
As I type this looking at the rose plant in my balcony garden; the subtle fragrance, its rich colour and artistry of whorls reminds of Emperor Jahangir’s quote “No other scent of equal excellence…It lifts the spirit and refreshes the soul”.
So the next time you happen to pass this route, do stop by to smell the roses - a soothing balm for city souls. If lucky, you could also relish the refreshing buttermilk, enjoy a lively conversation and also carry home a lovely rose plant to adorn your garden along with some fragrant memories
The link to the article is here
The below article was first published in Financial express dated 12 feb,2020
Stop and smell the roses – I literally follow this age old good advice when I travel to Hosur via Bangalore or Salem. Every time I travel this route, I stop by the many rose farms and poly houses, to soak in the beauty of every whorl and colour of the beautiful roses. The gardeners and farmers are very warm and welcoming. Each time I stop by, we share conversations, they invite us home for lunch or offer a glass of butter milk. They are also very generous to give me bonus in the form of a rose plant, tomatoes, chayote, Brinjals or whatever they grow.
Hosur is a little historical, industrial and agricultural town in the state of Tamil Nadu. A very humble town which is not proud of its various honours, perhaps the reason it is not so popular. All around the town if you observe, you will find historical and archaeological evidences that pre-dates this town to 2000 years. During Sangam-age it was called ‘Muraasu nadu’ and ruled by King Adiyamaan, the King who gave gooseberry to Tamil poetess Avaiyaar to prolong her life. The Cholas, Rajputs, Nayaks, Hoysalas, British East India during Lord Cornwallis time, Tipu sultan and many more have ruled this place.
This town is home to many small scale and large scale industries producing automobile bodies, automotive spares, high precision aero parts, watches, bio-tech, agriculture, tissue culture, pharmaceuticals and many more. A place which cannot be classified as a 'laid back' town or a 'hyper-active' town, It takes a middle path. From what I have observed generally, people here have the approach of ‘Work while you work, play while you play’. Maybe because majority of them have jobs with 9-5 schedules in Industries unlike many MNCs which work across different time zones.
One of its prime revenue generator is through its horticulture and floriculture exports. Hosur soil is said to be very fertile and ideal to grow European vegetables like broccoli, carrot, beets, bell peppers, asparagus etc. This is possible not only because of the fertile soil but also because this place is elevated 3000ft above sea level and thus enjoys a compatible and salubrious climate, all round the year. The weather is the reason why the Britishers called this place as “India’s Little England” during their rule. Tons of vegetables are exported to other parts of the country and this town also houses prime floriculture companies.
Many agri-export companies based here have their project sites around the main town like Denkanikottai, Bagalur, Thally etc. They breed, cultivate and export flowers like carnation, lilies, gerbera and the world famous valentine red rose called ‘Taj Mahal’. This variety created by a rose breeder in Holland is patented and cultivated in Hosur. It is a deep red budded rose with long stalk and big leaves. Another rose by name ‘Kohinoor’ which is a baby orange-pink rose is also cultivated here. The main markets for these flowers are Europe, Australia, The Middle East and Japan. The valentine rose was patented in 2009 and the exports have been doubled, tripled and some years they dip too.
Talking to a rose grower, in Bagalur (near Hosur), who was growing the Damask rose popularly called ‘Paneer rose’, said he also grows cassandra, chrysanthemum, marigold, tuberose for domestic and international markets. The flowers he grows are auctioned in the famous Hosur flower markets to retailers where they reach homes for daily pooja or special occasions like wedding.
But with passage of time, flowers have gone beyond decorating gods, sacred spaces and many other places. They now decorate office establishments, living rooms, as gifts etc. He said growing flowers now is a highly competitive industry. With introduction of new techniques, cultivators now grow and develop new flowers which leads to change in the trend of consumers. The new generation employ modern technology, maximise the production and offer better quality of flowers and thereby, a better price. He said the developed cut flowers like the valentine roses are grown in poly houses under controlled conditions. The buds are covered with netted bud caps so their shape remains in the bud form. Their petals are also thick so that they can withstand long distance travels. The flowers grown here travel in refrigerated vans to Bangalore and then are airlifted to various countries like Amsterdam, Germany, Abu Dhabi, Singapore, Australia etc. Recently, an Intellectual property attorney has also applied for GI tag for the “Hosur roses”.
As I type this looking at the rose plant in my balcony garden; the subtle fragrance, its rich colour and artistry of whorls reminds of Emperor Jahangir’s quote “No other scent of equal excellence…It lifts the spirit and refreshes the soul”.
So the next time you happen to pass this route, do stop by to smell the roses - a soothing balm for city souls. If lucky, you could also relish the refreshing buttermilk, enjoy a lively conversation and also carry home a lovely rose plant to adorn your garden along with some fragrant memories
The link to the article is here
As always an eye opening post from you. I have passed by Hosur so many times but have never smelt the roses. In fact I did not even know that it is a hub for roses. Hosur has just been a trigger to floor the accelerator after getting away from the madness of Bangalore. Never gave it a second glance.
ReplyDeleteOne more place to experience in Tamil Nadu just following your footsteps. And literally next door to Bangalore , at least distancewise, if not timewise:)
Even timewise, better than traveling within bangalore. Avoid the silk board S, ecity road . Take the bagalur or gunjur route, absolutely no traffic & good road &a visual delights on either side like organic farms.
ReplyDeleteThank you for taking time to read & leaving encouraging comment each time.
Sarjapur, gunjur route
ReplyDeleteLovely post! I never knew the humble Hosur had so much to it! Very informative and beautifully written.
ReplyDeleteThank you Aarthy, Glad you found it informative.
Delete