Human Flower Project
Hanoi, VIETNAM
Tokyo, JAPAN
Columbus, Texas USA
Wednesday, October 29, 2008
Flowers Go Begging in Islamabad
Panic is bad for the flower business. Just ask the vendors in Pakistan’s capital.
A canary tests for methane fumes
Photo: via petcaretips.net
If a canary can sing in a coal mine, the air is safe for human lungs. And, we would argue, if flowers are for sale on the streets, a city is civil – is safe to dwell and travel in.
By this litmus test, Islamabad is rapidly deteriorating. Flower sales are declining across the Pakistani capital, down 3/4 for this time of year. Atif Khan, writing for the Daily Times, interviewed several street florists who all bemoan the current state of affairs.
Umar Ahmen, a flower seller at F-6market, told the Times, “Our business has been slashed by 75 percent as people, especially foreigners, have restricted themselves to their houses out of fear of terrorist attacks. Panic prevails here.”