Flowers have been the ultimate gift for occasions of joy and grief when words cannot express the thoughts. This custom probably inspired the sale slogans for florists: say it with flowers' or 'you can not go wrong with flowers'.
However, some Mumbaikars think it is time to discard the flowers and turn to something more utilitarian - vegetables. A group of urban gardeners in Mumbai is promoting the idea of gifting a basket of vegetables at celebratory occasions.
The Mumbai and MMR Nature Gifters Club is an informal group that share ideas and all other things associated with gardening, like plant cuttings, seeds, nature walks, and photographs of their beloved botanical collections. They regularly meet at Vashi and other locations in the city and suburbs.
“Should we start the practice of giving vegetables instead of flower bouquets on birthdays? Because people often leave the given bouquets behind. Vegetables, on the other hand, can be consumed,” said one member of the group.
Members of the group feel that gifts of flowers is a western idea that Indians have copied. “Flowers are wasted in a day or two. They are thrown away or composted,” said Vashi resident Dr Srirupa Mukherjee, former head of the chemistry department at a city college and a member of the group said, “On the other hand, gifting vegetables is an Indian tradition. I have started doing so. In Bengal, it is an old tradition to gift fruits and vegetables. During weddings, among the gifts exchanged between the families of the bride and the bridegroom are fruits and vegetables."
To make the gifts look aesthetic and environmentally sustainable, Mukherjee suggested that the fruits and vegetables should be arranged in wicker baskets and trays instead of wrapping them in plastic. One member of the group said that she has 'trained' her friends and family to bring only fruits, dry fruits and vegetables. "In fact I survive only on such gifts," she commented on the group's social media account.
The group also feel that this will help farmers and promote indigenous gifting practices. Shipra Verma, a yoga instructor and a Kalamboli resident, said that in Uttar Pradesh, her ancestral home, people gift baskets of fruits for all celebrations. “We should revive this tradition,” said Verma who added that, as a yoga teacher, she advises her students to spend more on fruits and vegetables and less on packaged and fried foods. “People think fruits are a waste of money.”
With vegetable prices hitting the roof, the urban garden enthusiasts are ,also promoting the idea of growing vegetables and fruits instead of flowers on balconies and terraces.
Mahesh Suvarna, another member of the group, said, “Flowers only have aesthetic value. We will be promoting terrace gardens where people can grow organic vegetables and fruits. We are collecting saplings and seeds of native trees and plants for this.”
