“The earth laughs in flowers.”
― Ralph Waldo Emerson
It is a Tuesday morning in Mumbai and I’ve overslept. How, at the hour of 5:30am, is that possible?
Normally I wouldn’t even hit the snooze button for another two or three hours – let alone get out of bed – but today I have plans to visit the Dadar flower market in Mumbai, where apparently the action gets started as early as 4am. Oh, lord.
And so it is with half-closed eyes and a groggy mind that I drag myself out of bed, fumble in the darkness of my dorm room, and begin the journey with a single question on my mind:
Will this be worth it?
I’d spent the weekend exploring other markets in Mumbai – from the fruit and vegetable stalls of Crawford Market to the jewelry shops of the Zaveri Bazar and the Mangaldas fabric market – and as interesting as they’d been, all had yet to inspire me, or move me to the point of epiphany.
Would the flower market be any different?
* * *
Minutes before 7am, I reach Dadar station. As easy to follow to the market as breadcrumbs through a forest are little sidewalk flower sellers, already assembling garlands and bouquets from their purchases that morning. I pick up my step, beginning to fear I’ve missed all the action.
But my fears – that I’d missed the market at its busiest, that my visit wouldn’t be worth it – go unfounded. The moment I step foot in the market, I am swept into its swift, steady current, a current that leads me from the entrance to a stand run by Surin and Suresh – who have been in the business for 20 years and tell me the Hindi names for many of the flowers – to finally, the grand culmination: the covered portion of the market.
Here, beneath a rippled tin roof, I lose myself in a maze of 600 stalls, each counter overflowing with round woven baskets, each basket overflowing with blossoms. With orange and yellow marigolds, with bright fuchsia aster flowers, with tightly packaged dozens of little pink roses.
And it’s here that it hits me, what exactly I’m finding so intoxicating about this place. Yes, the intense fragrance of jasmine and rose blossoms no doubt has something to do with it, but it’s this, too:
These are the colors of India.
In the saffron-colored marigolds, I see the turmeric and masala spice powders which give flavor to so many of the country’s dishes. In the dark red roses, whose petals are plucked off and strung together to form temple garlands, I see the vermillion bindi adorning the forehead of so many of the country’s women. And in the piles of fragrant tulsi (or basil) leaves, I see acre after acre of the country’s vibrant green rice paddies.
Every flower holds beauty in what it is, but also in what it represents.
I’ll be writing about the market more for a magazine assignment, so I’m excited to share that with you in a few months. But for now, I simply want to leave you with images from the market…and with the thought that sometimes, inspiration is only a flower market – and a deathly early wake-up call – away.
How to catch Bombay in bloom at the Dadar flower market:
- The Dadar flower market is located, as you might’ve guessed, not far from the Dadar train station. If you’re staying in Colaba, catch a taxi to Mumbai CST then a local train to Dadar. The ticket will be around ten rupees (or 20 cents).
- When you reach Dadar station, be sure to exit out the west side. Turn left after you leave the station and head towards the market, which is a 5-10 minute walk away.
- The market is open 24 hours, but the prime time to visit is between 4-9am. I was there from 7-10am and feel like I still caught a fair amount of the hustle and bustle. (Although I do wish I’d gotten there earlier to see more flowers being unloaded from delivery trucks.)
Wow, the market looks absolutely stunning and you captured it beautifully with your artful writing and photography. It’s definitely on my list of places to visit next time I’m in Mumbai 🙂
Thanks so much for your kind words, Hannah. I was so grateful to find my way to the flower market…I only wish I hadn’t waited until my third visit to Mumbai to check it out! Can’t wait to come join you for some sunset drinks soon 🙂 Here’s to an epic last month in Goa for you/us!
Beautiful photos Candice. The colors of India, indeed.
Thank you, Kim! So glad you enjoyed the photos.
This is what I think of when I think of India. Just incredible.
Thanks, Cat! It was definitely one of my favorite places I’ve been in India yet – it had it all: the chaos, colors, and crowds, all jumbled together under one roof. Hope you’re well 🙂
Oh, how sorry I am we missed this on our trip to India last April. Thank for your vivid description – can’t wait to read the full article. Look forward to following your blog.
Ah, that is a shame you missed the flower market, Katie! But then there’s always next time 🙂 Where did you visit when you were in India? Any favorite spots? I’m so glad you enjoyed the post – and I really appreciate you following along!
Candace
Your photos are stunning! I knew that you were already “not too bad” at photography those look very, very good. Impressive.
Hope all is well
Jason
Hey Jason! Great to hear from you – how has life been since the Rickshaw Run? Thanks for stopping by here again, and for your kind words about the photos – it means a lot.
PS – Are you still in Hong Kong? Happy Chinese New Year if so 🙂
PPS – Say hello to Geoff for me next time you see him!
Beautiful! I love anything rich with colors though. 🙂
I can’t imagine how amazing the market must have smelled.
Hey JoAnna! Thanks so much for your comment, and I’m glad to hear you share my love for anything colorful 🙂 The market definitely smelled amazing – which was wonderful in and of itself, but was also a welcome respite from other less fragrant parts of India!
Wow, what a beautiful post. I loved the colours in this post and the sense of movement. I’ve never regretted getting up early in the morning to go explore but 4am is just about my limit!!!
Hey Mandy! Great to hear from you, and thanks so much for your comment. I’m so glad you got a sense of movement from the photos! As I was trying to process everything happening in the market, I was worried I wouldn’t be able to fully capture it on camera. Yes, 4am is definitely a bit extreme for me – but occasionally (*very* occasionally) it’s worth it! Hope all is well with you in 2013 so far 🙂
Candace, do you think that your time in India will have influenced your own spirituality in any way? Can you reply to me via email so I get this? Follow-up comments aren’t emailed to me, alas. (Why?)
Hey Babu! It definitely has, and I will be sure to send you an email with more about that soon. I’m not sure why you can’t get follow-up comments, but I’m making lots of little changes around the blog right now so I’ll look into it! So sorry about that.
Hey Candace! Thanks a lot for writing about the phool gully or the flower market. I just visited it and I was awestruck to check out so many flowers … I went at 5 am and trust me there was no space to keep your foot.It was even difficult to shoot for me as everyone kept pushing me here and there…it indeed was one of the finest mornings of my life !
Thanks for saying hello, Kaval! It’s great to hear you shared my awe for the flower market – it was absolutely one of my favorite places in India, even if it was hard at times to make your way through the alleys 🙂