Ikebana and us

“The essence of Ikebana lies in the relationship between the plant materials and the containers. By focusing on the container to be used, new ideas of composition may come to mind.” -    Akane Teshigahara on the importance of containers in Ikebana arrangements. This relationship between plant materials and containers, and the immense potential for new ideas, was beautifully displayed in the Sogetsu workshop held on Saturday, October 25 th at 11 am at the ABK hall. 11 members attended. Demos by the Senseis Senseis Meenu and Chitra Thiagarajan demonstrated their skills at bringing the best out of containers in their arrangements. Sensei Meenu started the workshop with a uniquely shaped black vase and arranged the materials - dried palm leaves sprayed with gold, a sunflower, and a dry philodendron leaf – to complement the shape of the vase. The rich hues of gold, brown, and yellow enhanced the beauty of the arrangement. For her second demo, Sensei Meenu chose a rectangu...

It was a busy Friday morning (September 19th, 2025) for the Sogetsu Chennai branch, as they gathered together for their monthly workshop. The group of 13 members was all keyed up. The topic for the day was  " The four Principles of Ikebana - fresh approach, movement, balance and harmony". It promised to be a creative and reflective session. Demo Senseis Dalley Verghese and Chitra Rajan were the presenters, and they kept the group enthralled with their compositions. Sensei Dalley started the session with two presentations focusing on the theme of relationship in Ikebana. Sensei Dalley's one arrangement was striking in its weaving together of natural elements - azeleas and geranium stalks against the backdrop of calm waters, pebbles and open space in a plain white container (far left in picture).  The other arrangement depicted the harmonious relationship of elegant lines (far right in picture). The calla lily and canna leaves blended well with the antique stone container. ...

It was that time of the month - the 3rd Saturday when the Chennai Sogetsu branch would meet to demo and practice their Ikebana skills. The theme for this month of August was "Showing Surface with Leaves". 14 members of the group gathered at the ABK Hall. The original demonstrators Senseis Meenu and Chitra T had personal emergencies; Senseis Pushkala and Prerana stepped in to ensure that the demonstration was conducted with no hitch. Demos by Senseis Sensei Pushkala’s first composition was created purely with coconut fronds. She improvised a central structure with a banana stem and covered it with coconut fronds. Ingenious! Next she created circular structures, and fixed them all together with pins. She finished with artistic stars also created from coconut fronds - a joyous arrangement springing with life. To complement the arrangement, she chose a coconut leaf-based moribana container - dried and painted. Sensei Pushkala at work on her arrangement ...

Seventeen members of the  Sogetsu Chennai branch met on Saturday, July 26th, after a long summer break. The enthusiasm to meet and enjoy each other's company was palpable at the ABK Hall. By 10.45am, the room was filled with loud conversations and occasional peels of laughter. Summer was almost done (well, almost), and the branch was set to start its activities for the rest of the year. Riji Malathi Pandurang welcomed Ms. Mami Teraoka, Researcher/Adviser, Culture & Information, Consulate-General of Japan  to the gathering of 17 members, and set the ball rolling with important announcements. She briefed the group about the Japan trip in April where a few of the members had attended a Sogetsu workshop in Tokyo with Master Instructor Sumide. Ma'am also spoke about the exhibition held earlier this year in March and the good experiences from the 5-day event. New members Zeenath Kadir, Christine Arati Fernando, and Ragini Prakash were welcomed. The workshop theme of the day was ...