"Flowers are like our hearts..."

"I feel that , I am blessed and closer to the God” says 40 years old Luckshmy Balasubramaniam. Luckshmy and her husband and her two sons make flower garlands for the famous temples in Colombo.

Garland making is very popular among the Tamil community living in Sri Lanka. Hindus believe that, flowers are sacred and offer them to the God. There are women like Luckshmy, who make flower garlands and earn their livelihoods. The female garland makers say that, they do not have to go an office to work. They can work from wherever they are.

Luckshmy, her husband and her two sons make garlands for the famous temples in Colombo. She earns Sri Lankan Rupees 1,000 as an average daily income. They make garlands for weddings and other occasions as well. She makes different styles of flower garlands. She feels challenged working among the men.

“ Flowers are like your hearts, and you have to handle them with so much of care”, further says Luckshmy.