Prabhat Chandra Das: The Flower Man of Hajo
Every day at the crack of dawn, a flower market comes to life at a narrow street of Fancy Bazaar in Guwahati. Flowers brought from various parts of the state are bought and sold here and a big chunk of this are brought from Hajo.
When we talk about the floral industry in Hajo, there is one name which we cannot miss – Prabhat Chandra Das, the man who has inspired many. It’s because of his immense determination and hard work that Hajo has turned into the flower capital of Assam.
When the rest of the town is still sleeping, Hajo’sPrabhat Chandra Das wakes up at 3 in the morning. With his stockpile of flowers as company, he prepares for his usual journey from Hajo to Guwahati. Even after giving 25 years of his life in the floral industry, Prabhat Chandra Das still finds happiness cultivating various types of flowers and selling them in the flower market of Fancy Bazaar.
Since 1993,Prabhat Chandra Das, a floriculturist by profession, has been bringing a new horizon in Hajo through flower cultivation. He played a pivotal role in turning Hajo into a flower hub of the state. Instead of going down the common lane of paddy and vegetable farming, Prabhat Chandra Das made a name for himself through cultivation of marigold, tuberose and various types of orchids. A resident of Kulhati village in Kamrup (M), flower cultivation enabled him to self-sustain himself and helped him become financially stable. His contribution in this field has been also recognised by Government of Assam along with various organisations.
About 25 years ago in one katha of land, Prabhat Chandra Das began earning his source of livelihood through marigold cultivation. Now, he owns a total of seven bighas of land, where he grows different varieties of flowers. The flowers grown by him are sold both within and outside Assam.
It was in 2001, when he started cultivation of tuberose. In this venture, he received advice and suggestions from both Agriculture and Horticulture Department and KrishiVigyan Kendra. After realising the demand for marigold, tuberose and orchid in the market, Das has been working relentlessly with utmost dedication to take flower cultivation to all new heights in Hajo. Not only did he become self-sufficient through flower cultivation, but he has also given employment avenues to many. Inspired by his strong determination, many youths of Hajo have come forwarded and ventured in this profession.
Nowadays, the demand for flowers such as marigold, tuberose, anthurium, rose, orchids, etc. have a huge demand here in Assam. Be it weddings or any events, flowers now form an integral part of decorations and celebrations. Hence, there is a huge need for different varieties of flowers which could be met by locally grown flowers. This will open up doors of financial stability for all involved in this practice.
Farmers involved in floriculture can now avail various schemes available under Horticulture Mission for North East and Himalayan States (HMNEH), Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana (RKVY), CM Floriculture Mission to start their own venture.
