The interviews and reporting for this story had been carried out in June 2025.
When Jalandhar first laid eyes on the Desert Rose, he noticed one thing nobody else did. A plant stuffed with potential, magnificence, and hope. Whereas others dismissed it as too unique, too delicate, or a weak enterprise concept, he noticed magnificence and a worthwhile future. Many years later, that single spark of perception has blossomed right into a flourishing enterprise, incomes him as much as Rs 60 lakh a yr, proving that generally, all it takes is one plant and endurance to vary your life.
Primarily based in Eesanam Kuppam, a small village in Tamil Nadu’s Thiruvallur district, Jalandhar has been rising vegetation for over 40 years. But it surely was not till he found Adenium obesum, higher referred to as the Desert Rose, that his fortunes started to vary. He began his Desert Rose journey in 1986, amassing his first vegetation from Mumbai earlier than travelling to Thailand, Taiwan, and Vietnam to study the secrets and techniques of grafting and hybridisation. It was a leap of religion that took him far past his humble beginnings.
Right this moment, his 15-acre farm is house to greater than 450 styles of Desert Rose. Every one can bloom in three completely different flower sorts and is available in a shocking array of colors. Whereas some small-rooted vegetation promote for as little as Rs 150, others with thick and sculptural roots fetch as a lot as Rs 12 lakh, particularly uncommon varieties solely present in Chennai, Vietnam, and Thailand.
The function that units these vegetation aside is how effortlessly they develop, no fertiliser is required, only a little bit of daylight and a drink of water twice every week. Their hardiness has allowed Jalandhar to export them throughout India and overseas, together with Dubai, Jamaica, and Mauritius among the many locations. His vegetation don’t simply embellish houses — they journey the world, spreading magnificence throughout borders. In 2015, he exported one lakh Adenium obesum, to Dubai alone.
Although he beforehand offered by way of India Submit, he now avoids on-line gross sales as a result of fraudulent sellers, preferring prospects to go to instantly. His work has been recognised by the Tamil Nadu Horticulture Division, which offered a Rs 10.65 lakh subsidy for a shade internet hut below the Nationwide Agricultural Growth Scheme.
Wanting forward, Jalandhar hopes to open his farm to guests. In spite of everything, his story is not only about vegetation, it’s about persistence, perception, and the facility of rising one thing lovely when no person believed in him.
Edited by Saumya Singh
