When Ikebana meets young minds

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 and their support group: (from left to right),
Sensei Prerana Mehta, Sensei Meenu Sarin, Chelvi Gopinath,
and Bhuvana Shivshankaran

The girls proudly pose with their arrangements

The boys proudly pose with their arrangements

The senseis and their support group: (from left to right standing)
Sensei Prerana Mehta, Sensei Meenu Sarin.
From left to right sitting: Zeenath Kadir, Chelvi Gopinath,
Bhuvana Shivshankaran, and Shylaja Theetharappan 

Sensei Prerana Mehta with her arrangement
(banana leaves, chrysanthemums, and gypsophila)