What began as a lockdown experiment with dried flowers in Manipur’s Mao Taphou hills has evolved into a nationally recognised, climate award–winning, women-led enterprise supporting hundreds of farmers.
When the Covid-19 lockdown brought life to a standstill in 2020, flower farmers in Mao Taphou village of Manipur’s Senapati district faced an unexpected crisis.
With transport halted and markets closed, freshly harvested flowers began wilting unsold, threatening the only source of income for many families.
It was in this moment of uncertainty that 33-year-old Chokhone Krichena, a resident of the region, decided to act.
Rather than watching farmers discard their produce, Krichena began experimenting with drying flowers by hand inside her home. What started as a simple attempt to preserve blooms soon evolved into carefully crafted bouquets, décor pieces, and accessories that looked strikingly natural and lasted for years.
Unlike artificial flowers made of plastic, her creations were entirely biodegradable, retaining the original colours, shapes, and textures of the plants.
This small initiative, born out of necessity and empathy, would later grow into Dianthe Private Limited, a women-led social enterprise that now connects Manipur’s hill farmers to homes, events, and institutions across 18 states in India.
Her work has since earned national recognition, including the prestigious Climate Innovation Award, for blending environmental sustainability with community-led livelihoods.
Preserving Rare Blooms Of The Mao Hills
One of the defining aspects of Krichena’s work is her focus on wild and local flowers unique to the Mao hills’ cool climate. These include Edelweiss daisies, Celosia, Bunny tails, Statice, and Cedrella seeds-varieties that are rarely cultivated on a commercial scale and grow naturally on the slopes surrounding the village.
Each flower is dried using traditional, chemical-free techniques that demand patience and precision. “The challenge is to preserve the soul of the flower-its colour, softness, and form-without harming nature,” Krichena has said in public interactions.
Because many of these blooms are endemic to the region, every finished product carries a distinct geographical identity, tying it closely to Manipur’s landscape.
According to members of the Climate Innovation Award jury, which later honoured Dianthe, the startup stood out for “blending biodiversity conservation with community livelihoods,” especially in a region often excluded from mainstream markets.
Building A Women-Led, Community-Centred Enterprise
What began as a one-woman effort has now become a structured enterprise employing five people directly and supporting nearly 200 local flower growers, most of them women. Farmers are trained in ethical harvesting and primary drying processes, ensuring that the natural ecosystem is not disrupted.
Local officials have acknowledged the initiative’s role in creating alternative livelihoods in remote hill areas. A district administration representative, speaking at a regional entrepreneurship event, noted that Dianthe has “opened new income avenues for women while showcasing Manipur’s natural resources in a sustainable way.”
By offering fair prices and consistent demand, the venture has reduced farmers’ dependence on uncertain local markets. For many women growers, the income from dried flowers supplements household earnings and provides financial independence without requiring migration or large investments.
From Social Media To National Recognition
Dianthe’s journey beyond Manipur began on social media, where images of delicately preserved flowers quickly captured attention. Orders soon followed from across the country, leading to collaborations for weddings, exhibitions, and eco-conscious events.
One of the venture’s most visible milestones came with floral installations at Imphal Airport, where dried local blooms replaced synthetic décor. The display not only drew admiration from travellers but also highlighted the potential of sustainable design rooted in indigenous knowledge.
In 2023, Krichena’s work earned wider recognition when Dianthe was named among India’s top five startups of the year and received the Climate Innovation Award. The citation praised the enterprise for replacing plastic-based décor with eco-friendly alternatives while empowering women in a conflict-affected and economically fragile region.
Sustainability Beyond A Buzzword
At a time when sustainability is often reduced to marketing jargon, Dianthe’s model offers a grounded alternative. The dried flowers require no electricity-intensive manufacturing, generate minimal waste, and decompose naturally at the end of their life cycle. By sourcing locally, the carbon footprint associated with transport is also significantly reduced.
Environmental experts point out that such decentralised, nature-based enterprises can play a crucial role in climate resilience, particularly in biodiversity-rich regions like the Northeast.
By creating economic value from native flora without exploiting it, initiatives like Dianthe encourage conservation through livelihoods rather than extraction.
Challenges And The Road Ahead
Despite its success, the journey has not been without challenges. Limited infrastructure, high logistics costs, and the difficulties of scaling production without compromising quality remain ongoing concerns.
Krichena has often spoken about the need for better policy support and market access for small, sustainable enterprises from the Northeast.
Looking ahead, Dianthe plans to expand training programmes for women, explore international markets, and collaborate with designers and institutions interested in sustainable décor.
However, Krichena maintains that growth will not come at the cost of community values or environmental balance.
The Logical Indian’s Perspective
Chokhone Krichena’s story reminds us that innovation does not always emerge from laboratories or boardrooms-it can grow quietly from compassion and local wisdom.
In transforming discarded flowers into dignified livelihoods, she has shown how sustainability, entrepreneurship, and empathy can coexist meaningfully.
