KERALA BONSAI ASSOCIATION

KERALA BONSAI ASSOCIATION

For four days beginning Thursday23rd August,2012, it will be nature in miniature at the Jawahar Bal Bhavan here. Once in three years, the Kerala Bonsai Association puts together an exhibition of bonsai plants in the capital city. This time around, more than 300 bonsai exhibits will be displayed at the fair, Jaya Nair, secretary of the association, toldThe Hindu here on Sunday. Speaker G. Karthikeyan will inaugurate the exhibition.“Though cedar and pine are mainly grown in bonsai in other places, we in Thiruvananthapuram mostly focus on ficus (‘Peraal,’ ‘Arayaal,’ etc.), mango tree, apple and tamarind,” Ms. Nair said. “This year, we are giving special focus on bonsai landscapes.”And so, for the first time in the association’s exhibition, there will be Penjing exhibits. Penjing is an ancient Chinese art of depicting artistically grown trees, along with landscapes in miniature. This is normally done in a Penjing tray, which is made either from cement or ceramic. “We are introducing this as a beginners’ section. Generally, people here seem to be more interested in landscapes,” Ms. Nair said. Also on display would be Suiseki rocks. Suiseki is the ancient Japanese art of appreciating stones.

Ms. Nair said one of the aims of the association in organising the fair once in three years was to dispel myths about the art of bonsai. “Many believe that bonsai plants are stunted because we don’t water them or add fertilizers. In fact, growing a bonsai takes as much effort, if not more, as it does to grow a normal plant in a pot in your house. Bonsais too have to be watered and cared for. The difference is they are grown in shallow pots. Bonsais are ideal in apartment complexes where one can grow big trees,” she said.Close to 50 varieties of ficus are grown as Bonsai by aficionados, she added.Bonsai, Kerala Bonsai Association

Prof. John Kurakar