Ikebana and us

October 15th  Our October meeting, just before Deepavali, was an interesting one. No flowers, but a workshop on something sweet! Our member sensei Trishala arranged for us to visit their food factory., Megafoods , in the Ambattur Industrial estate. The fruits - papaya, guava, black grapes, apples, bananas and pears - had been bought, washed, cut and pureed, in order to save time. Twelve members were present, (as also young Shivani, who kept us all entertained!), and after a briefing by Mr Amit Vaishnav on the processes, controls and quality checks required for a food unit, we were taken down to the unit, to see a small batch of mixed fruit jam and eggless mayonnaise be prepared. Members with our hairnet caps! The small size of the batch meant that the heating was done on a regular gas stove, and not in one of the larger steel cauldrons that lined the room. Mr Vaishnav explaining the ingredients - pectin, sugar, citric acid, colouring and flavouring t...

October 1st 2016. Mr Minagawa and Mrs Lan Minagawa were on a personal visit to Chennai, and the Study Group were happy to meet them over lunch.  Friends of Ikebana and the Study Group during their stint at the Chennai Consulate, we have warm and happy memories of them, and it was good to renew our friendship. The afternoon was marked by smiles, laughter and warm exchanges.  Friendship through flowers, indeed!

The Chennai Sogetsu Study Group was delighted to learn that our Chairperson Sensei Malathi will be honoured by Iemoto Akane with the Overseas Award, at the Ceremony to coincide with the 90th anniversary celebrations of the school, in April 2017!

 8th Sept 2016 The Study group met at the ABK hall once more for their monthly demo, workshop and friendship.  Eleven members were present. Molly sensei began proceedings with demonstrating using the lesson 6 in Book 4.  In the December floods of 2015, she had lost all her textbooks, along with many other things, including her beautiful garden. Her composition contrasted the thick, lichen-covered branch below with the thin lines above, and the red jerberas complemented the vase, to create a beautifully balanced composition.  The composition was appreciated by all of us. We then moved on to the technique of " plaiting ", which sensei Trishala demonstrated.  She had used it in her arrangement in the last month's workshop on surface and mass. She had brought various palm leaves with her to show us different methods of plaiting. Trishala mentioned that she was taught this by her household help, and many people even today use these palm to for...

August 11th 2016                                                                   Thirteen members of the study group met at the ABK centre, for a workshop on surface and mass.   The idea was to explore the i mplication of  surface of the container, surface of leaves and surfaces made by massing of lines,   on a composition. We started off with a demonstration by the two new  sensei, Divya and Janaki.  They approached the subject in different ways and demonstrated two different effects on composition.  With confidence and freshness in their demonstration, they were widely appreciated by the group. Sensei Divya demonstrated with creating a surface by massing lines Sensei Janaki demonstrated the effect of massing of material The two senseis with their arrangemen...

19th March 2016 Sensei Molly, assisted by Chitra Rajan gave a demonstration of Sogetsu Ikebana, and here is the report by Chitra. A seminar on culture and society of Japan  was a rranged at The Raintree Hotel Anna Salai on 19 Mar 2016 by ABK-AOTS Dosokai, Tamilnadu Centre on behalf of the Japanese Consulate  to facilitate social inclusion of differently enable people through cultural exchange .  Molly Cherian gave a demonstration on behalf of the Sogestu school of Chennai. The demonstration was striking depicting the minimalist classical style of Sogestu Ikebana. Three styles were demonstrated The audience  which included Japanese Consul General Mr Seiji Baba, Japanese embassy staff, ABK staff and students and  differently enabled persons and students from corporation schools watched with rapt attention and were very appreciative Sensei Molly with her arrangements -  Upright Moribana style using yellow chr...