Blooms Of Hope: How Bhubaneswar’s Chandan Samantray Built His Rooftop Lotus Paradise With 90 Varieties
Chandan nurtures the plants in specially prepared clay and plastic containers, waters every three days and feeds organic manure at intervals, reports Bikash Kumar Das.
Published : April 25, 2026 at 4:26 PM IST
Bhubaneswar: If rooftops in summers are the hottest and harshest for most of us, it is cool and beautiful for the likes of Chandan Samantray. On his 1,200-square-foot home terrace, Chandan once planted two lotus saplings he brought on a whim at a time when Covid-19 had struck. Suffering huge losses in his business, he got relief seeing the lotuses bloom and ever since he has been relentlessly growing the plants, for the past five years, at his home in Bhubaneswar’s Rasulgarh. The terrace today is a riot of colours, where 90 varieties of lotus bloom in rows of pots and miniature ponds.
What started as a pastime during one of life’s toughest phases has also become a thriving business for Chandan. Today Chandan’s lotus garden is one of the city’s most unique rooftop attractions, drawing visitors, buyers and gardening enthusiasts alike.
"Before I took to lotus cultivation, I was running a business. When the pandemic struck, like many others, I suffered heavy losses and could not revive my venture. Amid the uncertainty, I somehow stumbled upon two lotus saplings, which I brought and planted on the terrace and began caring for them," reminisces Chandan about how his tryst with the flowers started.
In a few months, the flowers bloomed beautifully and that sparked an obsession - to live life with flowers.
Since he had no formal training, Chandan turned to Google and YouTube on how to successfully grow lotus. He learned everything himself form preparing containers, maintaining water levels, enriching soil and using organic fertilisers. "I did everything through trial and error. And I never lost patience though many times I faced difficulties to make the saplings survive," he says.
Today, his terrace houses around 85 to 90 lotus varieties in 18 dazzling colours, including blue, red, white, pink, yellow and even green. Most of the rare saplings, he says, were sourced from Vietnam. "Each plant is nurtured in specially prepared clay and plastic containers, watered every three days and fed organic manure at regular intervals," he explains.
The rooftop garden is not a hobby anymore for Chandan, for, it has become a steady source of income for him. Depending on the variety, a single flower sells for Rs 50 to Rs 500, while a mature potted plant can fetch between Rs 500 and Rs 1,000. Chandan now supplies lotus plants to several nurseries in Bhubaneswar. "There are many people who buy the plants for their homes as well. I guess, my plants today must be gracing the gardens of many in the city and beyond," he says with a smile.
Yet, for him, the greatest joy is when a white one lotus blooms and he readily offers it to Lord Jagannath at home. "For me that is the joy I cherish. I look forward to the white lotus bloom so that I can offer one to my deity here at home and send some for the Sri Jagannath temple in Puri," he says.
Apart from lotus, Chandan has also cultivated a range of flowering plants and fruit trees, including mango, apple and strawberry, turning his rooftop into a lush urban sanctuary.
His longtime associate, B. Kumar Das, says he had never imagined seeing so many lotus varieties in one place. "I have been watching the terrace transform into a floating garden which is nothing short of extraordinary," he says.
In a city of concrete rooftops, Chandan’s terrace stands apart. While its lotuses bring out lively colours and fill the surroundings with an aura rare on rooftops, Chandan's hardwork in creating a lotus garden inspires many on how he transformed a challenge into opportunity.
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