Bengaluru: Eldhose P Raju is a trained nurse. He had been working in Qatar but decided to return home to Kerala. 

On his way back, he was confident he would get a suitable job commensurate with his job experience of ten years. But on the contrary, it was not to be. 

Irrespective of his hard search, he did not find success. And adding to his misery was his thinning savings. He was worried. Moreover, the lockdown announced as a result of the coronavirus pandemic was only adding to his misery. 

While he was thinking hard as to how to extricate himself out of the mess, an idea struck him. And that was to grow lotuses. 

That is when he actually translated his thinking into action, as he started growing lotuses on the rooftop. 

It was not that he was new to this business of growing lotuses. But he had his own apprehensions. However, he decided to take the plunge and invested Rs 50,000. 

As part of his business, he ordered different varieties of lotuses from Thailand, Europe and America. 

Now, as he grew them, he wanted to promote his business. But he was not the one to pay for it. 

So he created a Facebook page, an Instagram account and started advertising in it. 

In this way, he began marketing his produce. As he did it, he got his first customer from Gujarat. Gradually, his customer base expanded from Gujarat to Delhi and Kolkata as well. 

Now, with full of confidence, he grows lotuses on his 1300 square foot terrace. Moreover, as his clients have increased, he intends to expand his business all the more. 

Presently, he earns a profit of around Rs 30,000. 

Though he gets calls from abroad, he yearns to deliver the produce to his countrymen who have ordered first.