Meet the flower men of India! Draped in hibiscus and roses, stunning photos shed light on Calcutta's bloom sellers

  • Calcutta is home to the Mallick Ghat Flower Market which is sprawled along the banks of the Hooghly River
  • Photos are the work of Danish photographer Ken Hermann who has long been fascinated by the market
  • Traders appear draped in garlands of cerise and orange hibiscus flowers and hold bunches of crimson roses
  • Some flowers, among them the wonderfully named Flame of the Forest, were thought too holy to photograph
  • Hermann says the men are very proud of what they do and he hopes that is made clear by the portraits
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With bright pink and orange garlands of hibiscus flowers draped over their shoulders, bouquets of jasmine and, bizarrely, crowned with palm fronds, Calcutta's flower sellers are a colourful bunch.

Now a selection of the men are starring in a set of incredible new photos by Danish photographer Ken Hermann, which aim to shed light on a little known side of life in India's oldest port.

Shot in the Mallick Ghat Flower Market, a huge warren of stalls sprawled along the banks of the Hooghly River, the project, entitled Flower Men, sees vendors pose with their blooms while looking impassively out at the camera.

Palm crown: A man selling palm leaves in Calcutta
Spectacular: A man carries garlands of orange hibiscus flowers

Spectacular: A man appears to be wearing a crown of palm frond (left) while another flower seller's body is almost completely hidden by his hibiscus garlands

Careful: A man carries a bunch of sunflowers
Striking: Birds swoop behind a chrysanthemum seller

Wonderful: A Calcutta flower seller stands with a neatly tied bunch of sunflowers (left) while birds swoop over the river while another vendor has his photograph taken

It was this stoicism, says Hermann, that first inspired him to start snapping pictures - that and the quirky contrast between the delicate flowers and their masculine owners.

'I first went to the flower market during a visit to Calcutta three or four years ago and have wanted to do something on it ever since,' explains Copenhagen-based Hermann.

'It's a beautiful and, at the same time, very stressful place but I was fascinated with it - and the flower sellers in particular. I really like the way they carry their flowers,' he continues.

'Sometimes it almost looks like they are wearing big flower dresses. I like that you see these strong and masculine men handling the flowers with so much care as if they were precious jewels.'

Hermann, whose work usually takes him into the grimier side of Indian life, was also enchanted by the flowers themselves, even if there were a few that he wasn't allowed to photograph.

Colourful: A man with a garlands of yellow hibiscus flowers
Dressed: This man is carrying so many garlands, it resembles a dress

Popular: Hibiscus is one of the most popular flowers and comes in a huge range of hues whether yellow (left) or a deep saffron orange (right)

Delicate: Hermann says he was fascinated by the gentle way the men carried their flowers
Gentle: A seller cradles a bunch of flowers

Gentle: Hermann says he was fascinated by the gentle way the men handled their flowers -  a fact especially apparent in the photo on the right

Roses are red: A seller shows off his crimson blooms
Hidden: This man appears to be almost completely covered with palm fronds

Striking: A vendor appears proud of his gorgeous bunch of crimson roses (left) while another is almost completely hidden behind a huge bundle of palm fronds

'There are a lot of superstitions and religious belief in flowers in India,' he explains. 'I wasn't allowed to photograph some of them because they were considered to be holy flowers and they would lose their power if I had.'

Among them are the blood-red hibiscus beloved of Kali, Lakshmi's fragrant lotus flowers, Saraswati's champa (Indian magnolia) and the wonderfully named Flame of the Forest (yellow palash).

The men themselves, however, proved to be willing accomplices. 'Most of the people didn't mind having their photo taken - provided it didn't take too long,' says Hermann.

'All of the flower sellers were busy working and didn't want to lose any business.' He adds: 'Hopefully, people find the portraits interesting: even though some of the flower sellers are poor, they are still very proud of what they do and I hope people can see that.'

For more of Ken's work, see kenhermann.dk

Contrast: Herman was struck by the contrast between the masculinity of the vendors and the delicate beauty of the flowers they sold
Masculine: A vendor with a bunch of blooms

Incongruous: Herman was struck by the contrast between the masculinity of the vendors and the delicate beauty of the flowers they sold

Looking on: A dog sneaks into shot behind a flower seller
Audience: A vendor has his photo taken - watched by an eager audience

Curious: A dog sneaks into shot behind this colourfully dressed flower seller (left) while right, another has his photo taken in front of an interested audience