MJSS

India’s unique feature is its integrity. India houses seven registered religions from which six of the religions viz. Muslims (14.2%), Christians (2.3%), Sikhs (1.7%), Jains (0.4%), Buddhists (0.7%) and Zoroastrians (not counted) have been awarded ‘National Minority’ status .  Hindus being the maximum i.e. 79.8%.  Around 1.37% billion belongs to different religions further divided into various paths of worships. Flowers being an inseparable part of almost every religion in India, it is found that almost thousands of tons of flowers are either used as an offering to God or for decorations on different religious occasions and events. Flowers offered are not disposed scientifically. As per the religious belief, these floral offerings are considered to be sacred and therefore are majorly discarded in the water bodies like rivers, lakes etc. This is one of the reasons for water pollution. Pune is considered as the cultural capital of the Indian State of Maharashtra and is also the second largest city in the state after Mumbai with the population of 6.45 million. As per the record, maximum population in Pune follows Hinduism followed by other religious communities viz. Islam, Sikh, Jain, Christian etc. Pune houses Hindu Temples, Dargahs, Jain Temples, Churches, Gurudwaras etc. Although the rituals differ with every religion, there is still one common factor present and that is the usage of flowers. The purpose of this research is to come up with a business model to help transform the floral waste from the religious places into successful businesses of floral dyeing and provide the entrepreneurial opportunity to the society as well as environmental sustainability. The scope of this research is limited to six Hindu temples, two Jain temples, two Dargahs, two churches and two Gurudwaras in Pune. The researchers have collected the primary data through structured questionnaires and interviews. The secondary data was collected from various reports, journals, books, etc. The sample size of the research study is 350 consisting of various respondents such as priests, trustees of the place, workers, devotees, cleaning officers, concerned representatives of local municipal authority and residents of nearby area to these religious places. The data collected was analyzed with the help of ANOVA. The researchers came up with the business model wherein the floral waste from the religious places is collected, processed to give floral color imprints on the textile and introduced it to the stakeholders. The researchers feel that the business model introduced has potential to expand in the market.