Ikebana evolves into exotic art form in India
New Delhi: Ikebana, the art of decorative indoor flower arrangement seems to have evolved among Indian hobbyists into a distinct art form that has come to be regarded by Japanese masters as quite exotic.
"We try to create the outside effect of a garden inside a room. That is the basic aim of Ikebana," says Mythili Radhakrishnan, who has been practicing the art for over 30 years now.

Radhakrishnan is part of the Ohara school, one of the over 2,000 different schools of Ikebana currently practised
across the world.

"In Ohara the emphasis is on naturalism. It combines a traditional style with modern innovations. What we practise
here in India is quite different from what the Japanese do
mainly because the flowers we get here are not common in
Japan," she says.

An arrangement of banana leaves set as a dark background to simple flowers is regarded as unique.

"Use of banana leaves, bougainvillea flowers and orchids are something very exotic to the Japanese. They don`t have such flowers in their country," says Radhakrishnan.

The beginnings of Ohara school are traced to the introduction of Buddhism to Japan in the sixth century when offerings of flowers were placed on the altar, and later in containers, in honour of Buddha.

Over centuries, Ikebana evolved from the temple to the castle and eventually, to the Japanese home. Today there are three main schools- Ikenobo, Ohara and Sogetsu.The Delhi Ikebana society boasts over 100 members and has regular monthly meetings and workshops. Masters and teachers impart knowledge of the art to students in various centres across the city and certificates are handed to them based on exams and evaluations.

At a recent exhibition in the capital over 200 members of the Ikebana world viewed over sixty exhibits.

"The headquarters of the Ohara school is based in Kobe city of Japan and that is where we get our certificates from. Once a certain level of adequacy is reached higher levels of certificates are awarded straight from the headquarters," says
Shyama Balbir who currently heads the Delhi Ikebana society.

Balbir who was introduced to the art decades ago though Japanese masters who were on a trip to collect materials from her farm, says she practices it now for the happiness it gives her.

"Arranging flowers requires complete focus. There is no duality between the piece you are creating and yourself. It is just like dancing or any other form of art, you are part of the whole."

Balbir initially used to decorate for weddings of friends says,"I did it for a couple of weddings all very private affairs, but i soon gave it up because I was not in for the money."

Practitioners say that currently youngsters are also taking it up not as a mere hobby but to enhance their career prospects. "Learning Ikebana is an art and it forms the base for innovating. Otherwise arrangements would be plain just like
any gardener or roadside florist would make," says Prabha
Bhandari, an Ikebana practitioner.

However, Bhandai who runs her own flower business says "Ikebana is a hobby and cannot be used to reap profits. My business and my hobby are two very differed things. Moreover corporate houses and hotels do not like the traditional flower arrangements so I do not incorporate it into my designs."

While in Japan, the decorative art is practiced mostly by men, in India there are only limited male enthusiasts. "I would say only 2 per cent of members are men though in Japan men dominate. There are a few members in Mumbai and Bangalore though," says Balbir.

Raj Malhotra, a student of hotel management says he is keen on learning the art. "I visualise my future career in a hotel and yes definitely this training will help me add to the decor arrangements," he says.

PTI