Floral Salute to Covid Warriors

from Floriculture Today - July 2020 Edition

in Bangalore Launching #ChangingTheGloomToBlooms

As a token of appreciation to Covid-19 warriors who are working across India, The Growers’ Flower Council of India installed floral artworks across Bangalore from June 11 to June 13. The initiative #ChangingTheGloomToBlooms was a joint venture between Flower council of India & SIFA which was supported by various event management companies in Bangalore. The initiative focused on bringing the Blooms back to the Garden City of Bangalore.

The floral installations at the following locations were displayed from public viewing: Windsor Manor Circle by Ethereal Celebration Management, Minsk Square by Sneha Florist, Vidhana Soudha by Baisakhi Flowers Pvt Ltd, Brigade Road by Prratha Weddings, Shivaji Nagar by Zzeeh Productions Pvt Ltd and Emaginations Inc, Frazer Town by Zzeeh Productions Pvt Ltd, Mannequin Setups At Vidhana Soudha by Zzeeh Productions Pvt

Ltd and Avant Events and Entertainment, Whitefield Police Station by 9yards Events, Anil Kumble Circle by Shubhkamanaye, Infantry Road – Commissioner of Police by Shubhkamanaye, Town Hall by Sneha Florist and Bbmp Commissioner Office by Emaginations Inc.

The initiative, which was inspired by a similar act in New York, was supported by the members of South India Floriculture Association (SIFA), Growers of Karnataka, Karnataka Event Management Association

(KEMA), India Florist Association (IFA), Horticulture department, Government of Karnataka, Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) and Bangalore Flower Growers Association (BFGA), Cut Flower Growers of Karnataka & Tamil Nadu, Bengaluru City Police and Karnataka State Exotic Flower Grower & Sellers Association (KEFGSA).

Growers’ Flower Council of India, President Srikanth Bollapally said that they’re looking at installing these artworks across India, starting with Bangalore. “The work that the medical staff, government officials and the state police departments have done is incomparable and we were looking for ways to showcase our gratitude for their hard work and services. When we read about the flower arrangements at streets and landmarks in NYC, we decided to do a similar initiative,” he says.

The installations were facilitated by six wedding and event planners from the city - Kalidas Raj, Viveck Bharadwaj, Zubair Abdul Waheed, Srikanth Kanohi, Srikanth Bollapally, Sanober Mannan and Anitha Raj. Florists and growers from the city and neighbouring parts of Karnataka contributed their floral produce to the initiative for free.

Ethreal Celebration Management

Srikanth Kanohi, event planner and florist who has worked on styles for the different installations, said, “Apart from finding unique designs, I had to keep certain things in mind, like the surroundings of the place chosen, the kind of flowers being used - their durability, shape, size and colour.”

Zubair Abdul Waheed, Managing Director, Zzeeh Productions Pvt. Ltd. said, “Each planner has taken up a different viewpoint to portray as a floral display. My installations are showcased at Brigade Road, Frazer Town and Shivajinagar. I also installed a multifloral cape around different mannequins dressed as policemen, doctors, nurses and more.” He added, “For the Bowring hospital - Shivajinagar floral installation, we got a football sport mannequin and decided to have a corona ball in front of it by a doctor who is kicking the corona ball. It actually came out brilliantly.”

Flowers mainly used for the installations included Roses, Carnations, Anthurium, Oriental lilies, Chrysanthemum and Birds of Paradise.

The Council stated that the warriors, ‘did not care for their comfort, relentlessly

“Apart from finding unique designs, I had to keep certain things in mind, like the surroundings of the Srikanth Kanohi, Director, place chosen, the kind of flowers being used - their durability, shape, size and colour. “ worked to save us from the deadly O verwhelming feedback has been received from everyone who all has visited the places. The crowd included officials, IAS Officers, Ministers and many more personas. People had stayed back for 90 days in their houses, and now coming out of the house having a glimpse of these cheering flower arrangements was wonderful. Doctors, Nurses, Policemen, Cleaners and others were very pleased to be saluted like this. They thanked the floriculture industry.

The floriculture industry felt like a dead market, but through this event we tried to get back to the normal. The Grower’s Flower Council of India took up this initiative in support with South India Floriculture Association (SIFA); we approached designers, decorators and the flower growers of Karnataka and Tamil Nadu and each one of them agreed to contribute to the initiative. We also visited the government offices to get support, however their support was nominal.

Subsequently, we ourselves as flower growers had to take up the issue to be successfully implemented. Almost 1,70,000 flower stems of different flowers such as Carnation, Anthurium Chrysanthemum, Oriental Lilies, Peonies, and other foliages were used. In Bangalore, we had taken 11 major places that usually have a good crowd. By the support of the decorators, the event came out to be very eye-catching and inspiring.

A positive outlook was presented to everyone. Everybody thanked the flower growers. In return, we also felt blissful. It was indeed a very good moment for all the floriculture professionals. Indian Florist Association, Srikanth Kanohi, Rajeeb Roy and many growers of SIFA were the leading supporters behind the organization of this event. And I’m thankful to all of them. – Srikant Bollapally, President, Growers’ Flower Council of India

Extracts from live interview with Floriculture Today TV

“The nurses and doctors lose a part of themselves while looking after the patients and some have lost their lives saving others. We thought innovative floral décor at three of our assigned venues would be the best thing to do. “ Zubair Abdul Waheed, Managing Director,

They, who did not care for their comfort,

They, who have relentlessly worked to save us from the deadly corona virus, They, who risked their life and their family’s life, to save ours, They worked 24*7 when we were in the comforts of our home during lockdown.

They faced the anger, the violence and the hatred, but they refused to bow down and stood their ground in the line of their duty.

They are our selfless, dedicated and committed CORONA WARRIORS.

Sanober Mannan,

Founder & CEO, 9yards Events Zzeeh Productions Pvt. Ltd.

“We wanted to give the best to the heroes of our country. The location - Whitefield Police Station was strategically chosen to pay our respect to the policemen working at the ground level and keeping us protected at these times of crises. “

coronavirus, risked their life and their family’s life to save ours, worked 24×7 when we were in the comforts of our home during the lockdown; faced the anger, the violence, and the hatred, but they refused to bow down and stood their ground in the line of their duty. They are our selfless, dedicated, and committed Corona Warriors.

“We choose pink, white, and green as the theme colour - all these colours are the signs of positivity, peace, and vibrance. The choice of flowers was lilies and roses which are both exotic. We wanted to give the best to the heroes of our country. The location - Whitefield Police Station was strategically chosen to pay our respect to the policemen working at the ground level and keeping us protected at these times of crises” said Sanober Mannan, Founder, and Director, 9yards events.

Tanya from Avant said, “A brief was given to us by the Grower’s Flower Council of India and Srikanth Kanohi. We innovated on that idea and created mannequins of police, nurses, and doctors to give them flower capes. For the Frazer town installation, we had a nurse and created a floral gown for her. As the nurses and doctors lose a part of themselves while looking after the patients and some have lost their lives saving others. We thought this would be the best thing to do.”

The GFCI requested all the citizens to join them in saluting the Corona Warriors by visiting these locations, clicking pictures and sharing them on their social media with the following hashtags: #ChangingTheGloomToBlooms #FlowerfulBLR #FlowerPowertoCovid19Warriors #FloralSalute4CovidWarriors #StaySafe #BeingHopeful

in Bangalore Launching #ChangingTheGloomToBlooms

Sanober Mannan,

This article is from:

Floriculture Today - July 2020 Edition