December 2025 Workshop: Applying Principles 39 and 44 to Ikebana

The December 13th workshop of the Chennai Sogetsu branch was a grand finale to the year 2025, and was attended by 13 members. The theme was an extension of the November workshop on Principles 39 and 44, only this time there were no demos by senseis. The floor was left open to the members to practise their interpretation of the two principles.

To reiterate the principles:

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

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

The workshop and the resulting arrangements were a testament to the members' talents.

Arrangement by Sensei Trishala Vaishnav

Theme: Principle 44

Materials: Dracaena branch and gerbera in a ceramic Pondicherry vase

Arrangement by Sensei Chitra Thiagarajan
Theme: Principle No. 44
Materials used: Umbrella plant, caladium, and purple hearts in a ceramic nageire container

Arrangement by Sensei Ambika Chandrasekar
Theme: Principle No. 39
Materials used: Matthiola stalks, pink asters, and anthurium leaves in a basket

Arrangement by Sensei Ambika Chandrasekar
Theme: Principle No. 44
Materials used: Costus branch, aglaonema leaves, and asters in a nagiere container

Arrangement by Luna Bose
Theme: Principle No. 39
Materials used: Bamboo and button chrysanthemums, stones, and a Buddha statue in ceramic containers

Arrangement by Bhuvana Shivshankaran

Theme: Principle No. 39
Materials used: Shampoo ginger stalks, chrysanthemums, and a few leaves in a ceramic container, against a backdrop of boxed games

Arrangement by Sensei Prerana Mehta

Theme: Principle No. 39

Materials used: Gold bauble, mauve and white chrysanthemums, some artificial berries, 

and pine cones. The container is a big thermocol piece to depict snow.

Arrangement by Susan Sudhir

Theme: Principle No. 39

Materials used: Chrysanthemums, sunflowers, and pine leaves in baking trays filled with water to depict a pond scene

Arrangement by Gnanambikai

Theme: Use of unusually shaped container

Materials used: Shampoo ginger stalks and chrysanthemum in two ceramic containers

The workshop ended in much merriment with snacks, drinks, and plenty of joyous chit chat. The air was filled with the anticipation of holidays and end-of-year celebrations. This seemed a fitting end to 2025. We meet again in 2026!