From being a local affair in 19th Century to a crowd-puller, a flower show goes on

The event has officially been held 126 times since its inception in 1896. But its roots probably predate the first confirmed event by at least a few decades. The Agricultural and Horticultural Society of the Neilgherries, which was set up in 1869, held an annual exhibition of flowers, fruits, and vegetables in the Government Gardens and elsewhere