Let a Hundred Flowers Bloom

On the banks of the Ganges in industrial Kanpur, a start-up has blossomed that turns waste flowers into incense

- Mahima Sinha

On the banks of the Ganges in the heart of Uttar Pradesh stands the city of Kanpur.

Once upon a time, it was called the 'Manchester of the East'. It housed textile mills, a vast leather industry and chemical factories. Times have changed. The industrial hub is in ruins. And from the ruins has blossomed an idea: Phool.

The mind behind the idea is that of Ankit Agarwal, a 35-year-old computer engineer from the city.

On a cold January morning in 2015,Agarwal was strolling on the banks of the Ganges when he noticed the amount of flower waste that had gathered. A cursory bit of research told him that nearly 8mn tonne flower waste ends up in the river every year. And Agarwal couldn't ignore the problem.

Making the Best of Waste

At the time, Agarwal was working at a consumer software company called Symantec as an automation scientist.

His interest in sustainable business had sparked during his research on waste tyre pyrolysis. In time, Agarwal found a comrade in Prateek Kumar.

Kumar, 38, was involved in tackling the environmental challenge of waste tyres while working at Apollo Tyres.

United by a shared purpose, the two began their research. One and a half years later, the efforts culminated in Phool.