Ikebana and us

Arrangement at the Ballroom of the Taj Coromandel on the occasion of the 80th birthday of the Emperor - by Malathi sensei Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko were in Japan last week, and sensei Malathi had the privilege and honour of being introduced to them on Dec 5th. Here is her impressions of the meeting and the build up. I had the privelege of interacting with their Imperial Majesties of Japan, Emperor Akhito and Empress Michiko at Taj on 5th December at 6.30 pm. I received an e-mail informing me that Mr. Krisnaswamy, Mr. Ranganathan, Sherry and I have been chosen to meet their Imperial Majesties and that there would be a Rehearsal to be announced later. At the rehearsal, we were briefed about their Majesties by the ambassador of Japan to Dhaka, who is well versed with the South Asian culture and people. We were taken to the 'Chambers lounge' and were told that the Consulate in Chennai had already sent our biodata to the Imperial office at Tokyo and their Majes

Sensei Molly demonstrating Our November workshop was held at the Defence Officers' Club on November 12th.  The venue was a welcome change, set amidst a green oasis, tucked away in the military cantonment part of the city. The hall was comfortable and well laid out for us, with demonstration table, workshop tables, chairs and water.  Our member Nirmala Sunderam had booked the premises. As members were trooping in one by one the workshop got started 14 members were present.  Member introductions were carried out for Prerana and Molly. Sensei Molly presented the theme "Surface and Mass", with two arrangements using homegrown material. The first arrangement While her first arragement used a cane "mat" as a vase, the second one was with a ceramic "compote".    She used lovely caladium leaves from her garden to emphasisize surface. Caladium leaves, to show surface Another view of the same arrangement Members also participate

Janaki receiving her cerificate We had an eventful meeting in October.  It was well attended by some seventeen members.  Venkatesh, a rare bird joined us from Mumbai. We missed Pushkala who was unable to come. Meenu sensei first gave a detailed description of the Delhi trip.  The exhibition was very impressive and our members had a wonderful trip, which was a bit rushed, but enjoyable indeed.   The pictures are up on Flickr via a link Malathi sensei then gave away the student certificates to Janaki Trishala and Prerana. We were introduced to the very talented Padma sensei, formally, as Malathi sensei proceeded with her methodical introduction of all members.   Trishala gets her certificate And Prerana too We then had an interesting slideshow from our member Chitra on Lines and Colours in Interior Design. There was an active discussion on how these principles apply to Ikebana as well. The topic of Chitra's slideshow Chitra explains th

Delhi Exhibition 2013 - a set on Flickr More pictures from the cameras of Malathi sensei and Chelvi.

Thank you Chelvi for the photos via Meenu!

At the opening ceremony The Chennai Study Group members who took part in the exhibition Sensei Molly with her arrangement Chelvi and her basket arrangement Sensei Vaishali stand with her creation Sensei Dally and her arrangement We are awaiting more pictures of sensei Meenu and Pushkala's work!  It will be posted as soon as it is received.

Sensei Meenu demonstrates morimono 18th Sept Our 200th blog post and we celebrate with fruits, Sogetsu style. We had a good turnout at the September workshop at ABK-AOTS Dosokai, but disappointingly, only a few of the participants tried their hand at arranging fruits the Ikebana way. Sensei Meenu used pineapple for mass, and the apple indeed added colour to her fruit plate. Sensei Meenu's arrangement O Sensei Molly's summer harvest, complemented with the periwinkle Chitra experimented with using the pumpkin as a container Janaki used banana flowers as her main lines Apples in a row By Kalpana A large contingent also attended and took part in the Delhi Sogetsu annual exhibition, and details will be up soon, where Chennai Study Group interpreted "Peace".

These are from our annual exhibition. the two men in our group have still not given me their freedback, so I am now publishing them without the artist's comments! By Ashoka By Ashoka - glass container By Venkatesh Venkatesh Venkatesh

http://bk.asia-city.com/events/article/interview-akane-teshigahara-japanese-ikebana-master-bangkok Interview: Ikebana Master Akane Teshigahara | BK Magazine Online Akane Teshigahara has been called the rock star of ikebana, the Japanese floral art which is said to bring together nature and humanity. Here, she talks to us ahead of her new installation to mark HM Queen Sirikit's birthday (Aug 2-13). How did you first get into ikebana? When I was six years old, I began learning under my aunt, Kasumi Teshigahara, who was the second generation iemoto (headmaster) of the Sogetsu school of floral art. And I've continued to learn ever since. What is the core concept of ikebana? At the heart of ikebana is an expression of peace and serenity through the life power which is hidden inside plants. It is my wish to send good spirits, smiles, and joy through ikebana. Do you have any tips on how to appreciate ikebana? There are no rules for appre

The Chennai Study group got together after the summer, with joyous hugs and raised voices!  Many of us had not seen each other for a coulpe of months. Pushkala, our member from the academic world, regaled us with her experiences on her first trip to Europe, where she picked up these beautiful vases, which you see below. Sensei Vaishali then demonstrated in one of the vases, showing how a crack can be skillfully hidden. The last item on the agenda was the awarding of teacher's certificate to Dalley. Vaishali demonstrates Pushkala talks about her trip and the tulips! The dramtic effect of adding the wire! Congratulations Dalley! Dalley will give her firat demonstration as a teacher, sometime over the next couple of months. The ladies are all set to go to Delhi to take part in the Delhi chapter's annual show in September.