A small town near Udupi in Karnataka in India grows a rare jasmine that is sought after in the region. The history of the cultivation of the Udupi mallige in Shankarpura, home to a large Christian community, is interesting. This crop has a GI tag and has been cultivated here since the mid-1930s.
The selling price of the flower is decided every day – they also have an app that one can use to see the same. It is one of the most organised market forms where collection and payment happens methodically. These flowers are a source of livelihood for the people here – almost all households here grow and harvest these flowers.
For these women it is not just a livelihood but also a way to spend their time and continue the tradition. The way the flowers are stringed is also unique like no other and the buds must be harvested before sunrise. The best part is that this is also one of the most organised market models where the stringed flowers are collected by agents who also make weekly payments to the households. The collected flowers reach a central marketplace (katte) where the price is fixed every day by four people who deliberate on it based on the demand. This varies every day and the rate is fixed per ‘atte’. One atte has four chendus and each chendu has 800 buds of jasmine strung together. I can write the story from the perspective of the people in the region, the growers, families, people in the market who fix the price and how this is a thriving model of this village.
The flowers are used for religious purposes, weddings (a must for brides) and also in performances like the Bhuta Kola. After encasing the flowers in banana leaves, a network of agents in nearby villages collect and transport them to Shankarapura Katte for packaging and shipment. Based on demand and produce the price is set by Shankarapura Jasmine Cultivators association daily.
Denzil Castelino, one of the agents, says “this was my father’s business and I am continuing this for the last 25 years. We have about 20 plants and about 1-2 people can string them. We are about seven agents and based on the demand we fix the price based on the same. We have a small office here and we decide the rate by 11.30 – 11:45 a.m. every day.”
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