All of us like to look at those pretty flowers blooming all around us. We like to smell these array of flowers, pluck them and keep them in our drawing room, present a bouquet to our loved ones, and of course try to copy their beauty and colours in our embroideries – from handkerchiefs, pillow-covers and bedsheets to tops, shawls and dresses.

But how many of us think of these flowers as a viable career option, and a very profitable one at that. To the visionaries amongst us, from aromatherapy to potpourri and floral arrangements, from using the essence of these flowers in food, perfumes, cosmetics and what not, floriculture provide a pleasant industry option.

Amongst these one of the most promising areas today is the dry flower industry. High in demand, some of the popular dry flower products are handmade paper, lampshades, wall quilt, decorations, books, candle holders, etc.

The flower arrangements including dried samples of cone, foliage, bulbrushes, flowers like rose buds, lilies and plant material enhances the beauty of dry flowers, adding more export value to this industry.

While pressed flower art date back hundreds of years and was popular in different civilizations such as the Japanese, Egyptian, the Middle East and Victorian British Empire, at present, India is one of the leading countries in this field.

Its flower export is not only limited to fresh flowers, even dry flowers like exotic plants, leaves, grasses, pods, potpourri, pith flowers, cane cone, skeleton leaves have a good demand in the foreign market.

Though Maharashtra, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Hyderabad, and Kolkata are the leaders in the country, the vast and abundant forest resources in the northeast also make the region one of the most promising haven for the dry flowers industry.

In Manipur, three sisters from the hilly town of Rengkai in Manipur’s Churachandpur district – Lalhlimmoi, Zarzokim and Chinllalhneim — have been quick to realize the potential and scope of the dry flowers industry, and today they have established themselves as successful entrepreneurs in this field.

Thirty-year-old Lalhlimmoi first stumbled into the dry flowers industry during a visit to Dimapur. Seeing some friends involved in the work, she got interested and started learning the art of drying flowers and plants and making floral arrangements out of them.

This was in 2002. After training for one month she came back and taught it to her sisters – Zarzokim and Chinllalhneim. “Together we have made it a family business,’ she says.

Says the youngest of the triad, 23-year old Chinllalhneim, “I saw my sister at work, and so followed in her footsteps as this is a good career option. I don’t need to search for any other option.” Thirty year old Zarzokim too followed suit.

The sisters’ work has not only benefited the family but also supplemented the income of many others. While some of the raw materials used are taken from nearby areas of Nagaland and Shillong, most of the seasonal raw materials is culled from the state itself.

“We go to the fields and interior hills and collect some of the materials from the fields. At times we also tell the locals of the area what are the kind of plants and flowers that we want, and they collect the same and sell them in bulk to us. Which is a good arrangement,” says Lalhlimmoi.

Five years into the business now, the three sisters business is booming. Most of their products are sold outside the state, with some of the richer cities like Mumbai, Hyderabad, Goa, Mysore, Lucknow and Dehradun being their good customers. “Our products are sold all over India,” says Lalhlimmoi with a proud smile.

The mantra behind their success hasn’t been high education or fancy degrees. All three sisters are undergraduates. Chinllalhneim has just passed her higher secondary school, while both Lalhlimmoi and Zarzokim had only completed their high school.

What got them through has been sheer hard work, determination to succeed and unshakeable belief in their vision. “Our finishing is good, so people like it better,” Lalhlimmoi adds modestly.

However the work isn’t roses all the way. The poor transport and communication system in the state as well as northeastern India is a major hurdle when it comes to transporting their raw materials and products in bulk.

Such setbacks notwithstanding, the sisters are sure that the dry flowers industry is here to stay and are even confident of meeting demands for exports should such opportunities arise. “This is an industry,” Lalhlimmoi emphasized. Presently they also give free training to interested people.

Lalhlimmoi, Zarzokim and Chinllalhneim are among the five children born to father Rothang, a BSF pensioner turned cultivator, and mother Sumi, a housewife.