Lalbagh's R-Day flower show sees 5.6L turnout

BENGALURU: The bi-annual Lalbagh flower show concluded Sunday, with the 11-day flagship event drawing 5.6 lakh visitors and mopping up Rs 2.6 crore in ticket collection. Including the pass holders, schoolchildren and ticketed visitors, the final day saw 76,000 footfall.

Themed on 12th-century philosopher Basaveshwara, the flower show drew huge crowds and inspired many. Medium-size boards placed in and around the Glass House described stories from Bsaveshwara's childhood, early adulthood and metamorphosis into a spiritual leader. One of the important pieces on display was the model of Anubhava Mantapa, the religious complex that is coming up at Basavakalyan in Bidar district and is modelled on Anubhava Mantapa that served as the parliament for exchange of ideas by Basaveshwara and his followers.

Nikita Pathak, a social worker living near Jayanagar, told TOI she loved the theme this time and found the experience to be emotional. "The flower show is always beautiful and I love shopping at the stalls here, but this year's theme was more of a spiritual and emotional journey for me as a social worker," she said.

The Glass House also had displays fashioned out of zinnias, gerberas, geraniums, chrysanthemums, roses, marigolds, etc. Visitors could access the flower show with tickets costing Rs 80 for adults (Rs 100 on weekends) and Rs 30 for children.

Although it started with a challenge posed by rodents which had chewed into 2,000 marigold flower pots out of the 3,000 that were raised by the horticulture department, the crisis was managed by the department by sourcing a similar number of flowers from private nurseries.

"The show was a great success, there were no complaints received and the flowers are still looking fresh," said Kusuma G, deputy director, Lalbagh.


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