Right from the start. New Market s annex wing was a big hit with shoppers. Popularly known as Singapore. Dubai or which ever country — you-may-call -it-market. the extension part alone, attracts numerous customers everyday on the lookout for household products and gifts. The whole place literally overflows with imported things like — micro-oven safe dishes, non-str k pails n-urines and other pricey stuff. In ad ditioh to all that the shopkeepers have introduced a new item. It's potted plants and they are available in plenty at the thriving shopping centre in question.

Those who crave for long-lasting flowers to adorn their homes can take their pick from the market s diverse collections. Yes. you're right, we are talking about artificial plants. Fake plastic replicas that are just a little too vibrant to be the real things. But even without the sweet or intoxicating floral fragrance the beautiful unnatural botanical dupll cates have attracted many a buyer. And mind you. les fleurs' like the rest of the merchandise in the market are ab solutely ' 100 per cent bideshi' and the salesmen will promptly, proudly disclose their lands of origin: China and Thailand to be precise Dazzling yellow sunflowers, fiery roses, fuchsias, crimson dahlias chrysanthemums, tulips, gardenias or simply leafy plants — a botany buff can simply test his/her knowledge by guessing the names correctly. The man-made flowers do have advantages over the natural ones. Tliey don't fade away and need to be replaced every other day and what more, they are washable. The orientals being experts when it comes to flower arrangements paid at

tention to every minute detail. By deliberately keeping the pots sample and inconspicuous, they maintained the perfect balance with the bright hues of the flowers. Some of the flower petals have been made out of cloth and the leaves from plastic, while the others are totally plasUc finished. Pebbles are added to give the pots a more natural look. From a distance the plants look genuine enough.

However, if you're an interested buyer, here is an Information for you. The delightful. durable plant imitations don't come too cheap. The prices vary a great deal depending on size and texture. The cloth made flowers are more expensive than the plastic ones. The small potted plants cost Tk 180 Tk. 500 . Some of them come in quaint, decorative shapes and designs, perfect for your living room centre piece. The bigger pots are available at Tk 600 to 1,500

One can also purchase separate sticks of flowers, each at around Tk. 100 to 200 . But don't worry, the sellers assure, the prices are quite negotiable.

It might be mentioned here, that if you don't in tend to buy. don't hang around the flower shops. There is an unwritten law against It. In any case, if you ask any question about the precious plants and spend Just two minutes looking at them, the men will drive you crazy with their which one do you wont' queries. A lot can be said about poor salesmanship, but what good would Jt do anyway

Meanwhile buying potted plants seem to be the latest trend in Dhaka or so the sales staff would like you to believe. And why not? They aren't locally made and don't we love everything foreign?