Whether it is wedding planners, beauty salons, spas, those observing funeral rites or people visiting their loved ones’ graves, Rawalpindi’s Banni Flower Market has served them all.

In the narrow streets of the garrison city, Banni Flower Market opens early in the morning and closes late at night.

The market has been running since before the partition and continues to cater to its customers’ rituals – from the cradle to the grave.

The market’s flowers are used on all occasions – they are worn as jewellery at weddings, used to decorate rooms for newlyweds, in spas and even during funeral rites by the Christian, Muslim, Hindu and Parsi communities.

There are two main flower markets in Rawalpindi: Banni market, near Raja Bazaar, and Saddar Bazaar. Banni market is the main one, and flowers are supplied from here to the rest of the city. In Saddar, most florists purchase flowers from distributors who come from Peshawar and Pattoki every day.

A visit to the market in the morning is a striking experience. The ground is littered with red and violet, as the flowers are spread out on the road before dawn breaks. Workers unload the trucks and spread the flowers over the road, before distributing them to florists.

“Since there are no flower fields in the Rawalpindi division, we purchase flowers from Peshawar and Pattoki. Rose and glade come from Pattoki, and marigolds come daily from Peshawar,” Mohammad Irfan, who owns a shop at the market, said.

He said roses and marigolds are always in demand and that other flowers are used primarily in bouquets.

“Roses and marigolds are used for decoration and in graveyards, so they are available all year,” he said.

According to dealers in the city, the consumption of flowers increases during festivals and the wedding season. They said the daily demand for flowers was between 10,000 and 20,000 kilogrammes, but rose significantly during the wedding season.

“We have switched on the refrigerators and made arrangements for ice blocks to keep all the flowers fresh. Shopkeepers purchase flowers daily, to avoid any loss as flowers are destroyed quickly,” Mohammad Javed, a florist, said.

Published in Dawn, January 10th, 2016