Ikebana and us

To celebrate Children’s Day on November 14 th this year, the Chennai Sogetsu Branch conducted an Ikebana Workshop for the children at Chennai Higher Secondary School, Alwarpet. This initiative was supported by Madras Metro Round Table 95 of Chennai . Senseis Meenakshi Sarin  and  Prerana Mehta , along with the supporting members, conducted the workshop most dexterously. They had the rapt attention of nearly 75 students from Grades 6 to 9. There were demos by the senseis, followed by an engaging hands-on session with the students. Beyond Ikebana, the children were given an insight into Japanese culture and language, and were taught the names of the flowers and materials used. This was truly a meeting of Ikebana and young minds, where the children were encouraged to appreciate the natural world. And what better way to do this than to work with flowers and plants, as demonstrated by the pictures below. The children enjoying the demos presented by the senseis The senseis...

“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...