Beena Vincent stands on the landing of the stairs with three soiled plastic covers, inserting grass bushes into her Adenium Bonsai. “This one is almost 20 years old,” she says, while dotting the patches between the grass stubs with white gravels.
Beena is a teacher at a nursing college in Nedumangad and has been growing bonsais on her terrace at her house in Poojapura for more than two decades now.
Jawahar Balabhavan is greener this week. A bonsai exhibition has been organized by Kerala Bonsai Association began at the premises on August 30. “We conduct an exhibition once in three years. We have over hundred members but only around fifteen are really active,” says Ameer, who is busy writing the tags which are to be placed beneath the bonsais. The tags have details including the botanical name, age, owner’s name and the style in which they are pruned. P Ravindran who has been growing Bonsais for the last forty five years, has a nursery called Nikki Bonsai gardens at Nagercoil. Rare varieties from his collection are showcased at the exhibition.
Most Bonsais are of the Ficus variety. There are some common names like Tamarind, Bougainvillaea, Guava, Chickoo, Gulmohar and Bamboo.
Khan Komai’s (famed Japanese Bonsai expert) quote is glued to the makeshift white clothed wall. “Bonsai develop from a combination of what you feel about the tree and how the tree behaves.”
There are bonsais that have made their way to the exhibition from Nagercoil. Some bonsais are placed on rocks, some on wooden stools and some on straw mats. Red euphorbia blossoms have been placed in between the bonsais, in pretty miniature earthen pots to add an extra charm.
Once you walk the exhibition spread across two halls, above and below, you can also purchase some bonsais kept for sale. The full grown ones will cost a bombshell but there are smaller versions which have to be trimmed and groomed over the years, they come in a range from 500 to 100. Apart from Ficus and Casuarina, show plants like Adenium and Euphorbia are available from ` 100 onwards.
The exhibition will end on September 2.
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