Applying Principles 39 and 44 in Ikebana

The Sogetsu Branch, Chennai held its monthly workshop session on November 22nd, 2025 at ABK Hall. The meeting began at 11am to a room filled with anticipation. The theme held promise for creativity - apply Principles 39 and 44 of the 50 Principles of Sogetsu by founder  .

Principle No. 44: "Be sure to make definite points of emphases and avoid redundancy in the arrangement." 

Principle No. 39: "Ikebana must appear as if it is a product of the environment in which it is displayed." 

Sensei's Demonstrations

Sensei Prerana demonstrated Principle No. 44 and Sensei Trishala No. 39. Sensei Prerana's first arrangement used a play of artificial plastic wrappers, squeezed and stapled together. From this she created two beautiful lines that she placed in a three-opening vase. The central opening held a lone white anthurium that harmonized with the lines of plastic. 

Sensei Prerana's arrangement: Plastic wrappers twisted and stapled together, and a white chrysanthemum in a ceramic container. Theme: Principle 44.

Sensei Prerana's second arrangement was done with banana leaves and a single red gerbera in a white ceramic container. The adherence to the principle was displayed in the perfect harmonizing of elements - no element was extra or missing. Herein lay the beauty of the arrangement.

Sensei Prerana's arrangement using banana leaves and a red gerbera in a white ceramic container. Theme: Principle 44.

Sensei Trishala demonstrated Principle No. 39. Her first arrangement was a rendering of a katcheri scene from the South. She used a blend of natural materials and a man-made music system to create the scene. A sunflower was used to connote the voice of a singer, its companions in yellow echoing the accompanist’s gentle support. Umbrella plant branches were strategically placed to take the form of the mridangam, steady and grounding, while mitsumata traced the unseen waves of melody as they rose and drifted through the air.

Sensei Trishala's arrangement: Yellow chrysanthemums, umbrella plant branches, and mitsumata branches in a katcheri setting with music system and speakers. Theme: Principle 39.

Art and pollution was the subject of Sensei Trishala's second arrangement. She used a bundle of trash collected from home. Out of this, she imagined a familiar Chennai scene abounding in garbage after a short rain spell. She created poetry out of the chaos by adding a line of empty cans to give structure and beauty to the arrangement. She interspersed the trash with a few plants, almost as if to say that vegetation could survive amidst the chaos, because rain gives life.

From the depths of trash, abounds a serenity unreal

Hope holds fast even in despair

Luscious green emerges as if to say "I endure"

Life clings on strong and steadfast

Trash is trash, and yet beauty abounds.

Sensei Trishala's arrangement using trash, glass vases, and small plants in a fiberglass container. Theme: Principle 39.

Members' Arrangements

After the senseis' demonstrations, the members applied their interpretation of the principles to their arrangements.

Sensei Molly's arrangements. Arrangement 1 uses a single anthurium flower and a moth-eaten anthurium leaf with a spray of teak inflorescence in a Lebanese ceramic container. Theme: Principle 44. Arrangement 2 uses bird's nest ferns, canna pods, and miniature water lily leaves in a black shallow container. Theme: Principle 39 utilizing the water body as the environment.

Sensei Ambika's arrangements. Arrangement 1 portrays the "Grasslands of Bhigwan". The different colours of grasses are represented by the dracaena leaves and the wildflowers by button chrysanthemums.  Theme: Principle 39. Arrangement 2 uses a black and brown vase as the focal point. A tube rose is placed high to accentuate the neck of the vase, and delicate henna leaves mirror the movement of the lines on the vase. The colours of the vase are complemented in the material. Theme: Principle 44.

Sensei Chitra Thiagarajan's arrangement (left): Ferns, palm frond, money plant leaf, heliconias, and a bunch of tiny maroon leaves in a decorated wooden box. Theme: Principle 39. Zeenath's arrangement (right): Devil's ivy and eustoma flowers in a delicate glass container to represent pristine nature and greenery. The water, plants, and roots symbolize trees and flowers in harmony with space and nature. Theme: Principle 39.

Chelvi's arrangement: A single white chrysanthemum flower with fishtail palm berries and sanseviera leaves in a wooden container to show line and balance with no redundancy. Theme: Principle 44.

Luna's arrangement: Aesthetically placed palm fronds with heliconia in a ceramic container. Lines depict harmony and sense of space. Theme: Principle 44.

Susan's arrangement (left): Ixora and African Princess branches with a chrysanthemum in a delicately shaped glass container. The lines of the materials are arranged to harmonize with the lines of the container. Theme: Principle 44. Sensei Meenu's arrangement (right): Electrical waste in a palmyra basket, placed on a noodles tray. Yellow shampoo ginger, and fishtail palm berries complete the arrangement to reflect electrical waste. Theme: Principle 39.

Susan's arrangement (left): Yellow chrysanthemums, sanseviera leaves, lily plant leaves, and a solitary branch in a wooden bowl placed in an African basket to reflect a garden environment. Theme: Principle 39. Mohan's arrangement (right): A solitary sunflower and a bunch of limoniums in a white fiber glass container to display well blended line and mass. Theme: Principle 44.