Ikebana and us

The Sikkim Flower Show was held recently at Gangtok. The Asia Lilies and Alstromeria which we used in our exhibition, so often were on display! For a first-person account of the show, click on the link Sikkim Flower Show The Sikkim Govt also has a website, and has posted some more photos here

A sight for tired urban eyes, definitely! One day, there is just green grass, and the next day, you are greeted by a sight like this! Some more information: Common name: Yellow Rain Lily, Yellow Fairy Lily, Yellow Zephyr Lilies Botanical name: Zephyranthes citrina Family: Amaryllidaceae (amarlyllis family) Synonyms: Zephyranthes sulphurea The one-inch, lemon yellow flowers of this rain lily spring forth in late summer, at the time when many gardens benefit from a shot of fresh color. These yellow blooms face upwards and flare open, giving them a cheerful appearance. Zephyranthes are commonly called rain lilies since they often come into bloom after it rains. From the Amaryllidaceae family, they are native to the southeastern United States, Central America, and South America. Most are spring or summer flowering. A delightful effect can be produced by planting the species in the grass. The splashing yellow expanse of flowers looks fascinating. It is useful as a border plant in fr...

Ikebana-033.jpg Originally uploaded by Zen-Images Isnt this a lovely interpretation of the Sogetsu triangle vases? The artist is Baiko

DSC04664 Originally uploaded by ambikach2002 Anthuriums and an Asia Lily bud adorn the living room, in a Thai vase. This vase was bought on our last years' trip to Bangkok, by my mother. Too small for the exhibition, but a lovely elegant shape, with one of their guards embossed on it. Maybe the lily has to be a little taller?

DSC04665 Originally uploaded by ambikach2002 More chrysanthemums and one Sweet William peeps out. Yellow Chrysanthemums from the exhibition - My worli applique man sits in their shade!

The chrysanthemums from the exhibition continue to do well, and they are now at home!

With wonderful fellowship through flowers, the weekend and the exhibition are now just a memory. Twelve enthusiastic participants in the exhibition brought out the theme of Beauty in Nature. Friday was a beehive of activity, with the Lalit Kala Akademi floor strewn with cut material, buckets, vines, branches, pots, pans, pinholders and vases. My mother began with her huge pot, and proceeded with focus from one arrangement to the other, not stopping for anything! I on the other hand was in a panic, as my bambbos wouldn't "behave", and the little cans to hold water wouldn't stay where I wanted them to. With much engineering assistance from my father, the terracotta pot with bamboo was done! But time was running on, and I had to hurry on. Incessant chatter filled the hall, as Trishala asked Padma aunty how to make her palm leaf stand, Vaishali called out her suggestions, Prerana made some wisecracks and Pushkala laughed at the confusion. Venkatesh arrived with his...

Ashok was enquiring as to what the name for the Erukkum flower is - The one used for Vinayaka/Ganesha. The botanical name for erukkum (erukkan, erukku) is *Calotropis gigantea *and for vellai erukkan it is *Calotropis procera. *Both belong to the family Asclepiadaceae. The common names are Giant Milkweed and Sodom's Apple (West Asia). Painted grasshopper feeds on Erukkam (C. gigantea & C. procera ) leaves. Plain tiger butterfly(Danaus chrysippaus) lays eggs on Erukkam leaves. Log on to the link given below & read more. http://www.iisc.ernet.in/~currsci/aug102006/263.pdf Infact both are native Indian Sps. the difference is C.gigantea flowers are White to purple, rarely light green yellow or white. Flowers not scented where as C.procera White to pink, scented. Another difference is C.gigantea generally grows up to a large size (8 to 10 ft) while c.procera is shorter and grows up to 3 -- 6 ft.

The seven steps1 Originally uploaded by ambikach2002 All of us attended the girls doll festival at the Consul General's home, where we saw this lovely display of dolls. The attention to detail for each doll was amazing, while the finish on the lacquerware was marvelous. As I looked at the headgear and the kimonos, I was left wondering as to why we humans world over make ourselves so uncomfortable! More pictures available Here

This page has a link on the side, which takes you to the photos of the 2007 exhibition. These photos are hosted on a site called Flickr. I reccomend that all of you sign on to the site. There are many Ikebana and Sogetsu artistes, from all over the world, who share their pictures through Flickr. Some have seen our photos and have been impressed by the pictures.