Lotuses up for grabs on the eve of Lakshmi Puja at a Jamshedpur market. Picture by Bhola Prasad

Jamshedpur/Ranchi, Oct. 21: Call her what you will, Kamala, the lotus dweller, Padmapriya or the one fond of lotuses, Padmamaladhara or one who wears a lotus garland, Padmamukhi and Padmasundari or the lotus-faced beauty, Padmakshi or lotus-eyed and even Padmahasta or one who holds a lotus, but Lakshmi — the Hindu goddess of wealth — is inseparable from the lotus.

Mounted on her owl, as she descends tomorrow night — Lakshmi Puja will be performed in Bengali homes on the occasion of the Kojagori Purnima or the first full moon night after Durga Puja — the goddess will obviously expect the lotus as a part of ritual offerings.

But for her devotees in Jharkhand, there is a hitch. Lotus is not a part of Jharkhand’s fledgling floriculture industry. Florists across Jamshedpur and Ranchi buy the lotus in bulk from Calcutta and sell them at a premium.

In Jamshedpur, each florist has stocked around 300-400 flowers to meet the demand. And though each lotus is now being sold for Rs 12 instead of Rs 5, devotees are not complaining.

“Lotus is selling at a premium because of the high demand for tomorrow’s Lakshmi Puja. Lotuses grow during monsoon, but are required for the autumn puja, so naturally there is shortfall. We are selling the flowers at Rs 12 per piece, more than double its normal rate,” said florist Mohammad Samsher, owner of Bistupur-based Garden Flowers in Jamshedpur.

In the capital, lotuses are a tad more affordable at Rs 8-10 per piece. Raju Malakar, a florist near Main Road, said: “The price of a lotus has doubled now, but it is still much cheaper than what florists in Mumbai or Delhi charge — Rs 15 or Rs 20 per piece.”

But despite steep prices, up to a 1,000 lotuses are sold a day during the festive season. “Offering lotuses to goddess Lakshmi is a must. I will offer two lotuses tomorrow,” said Ranchi homemaker Shipra Sahay.

In fact, such is the demand that instead of waiting for tomorrow, most devotees are buying their lotuses a day or two ahead.

“Unlike marigold, lotus is not available always, so it is wiser to buy it when florists have it, rather than wait till the day of Lakshmi Puja,” said Jamshedpur customer Sougata Biswas.

“We started getting queries from customers since Tuesday, but got our stock of lotuses from Calcutta this noon. Around 100 pieces have already been sold. I am sure there will be more customers after we run out of lotuses tomorrow,” said Hemant Kumar, owner of Jamshedpur Flowers.

For now, the goddess is surely raining her blessings on florists. “Business is brisk and customers do not bargain now,” beamed florist Sumit Singh from Jamshedpur.