My Bonsai Adventure
My rendezvous with bonsais started in 2009, when I visited an exhibition at Trivandrum during Onam celebrations. I was seeing bonsais for the first time in my life and got totally smitten by the allure of those little beauties. I must admit that at that time, I was more intrigued by the botanical aspect of how aged trees could grow in such small pots. I attended a training session on bonsai growing, planted few saplings and tried out all what I had gathered during the training. But even after three years, I did not have any plant that looked close to a bonsai. I got dejected and gave up the fancy. After about an year or so I started off again, I do not remember the trigger, but with a stronger resolve. I also had to get over my reservations on ‘The Ethics of Bonsai Growing‘.
To the uninitiated, bonsai creation may look like simply stunting the growth of trees. But it is much more than that. Bonsai is in fact the mystery of nature captured in a pot. Replicating the beauty of old mature trees in small pots requires many years of learning, practice and experimentation.
Bonsai creation is a ‘tapasya’ that exacts resolve, rigour, self-discipline and above all patience. It demands one’s ultimate best in creativity, artistic aesthetics, design capabilities and horticultural skills. Bonsai growing also requires continuous learning. Every plant species and plant has a different nature and growing pattern. The bonsai practitioner has to experiment, observe and continually learn. Even after this long bonsai odyssey of many years, I feel like a novice with regard to the vast skill set required for bonsai creation.
Most of my plants are still under development. The trunk lines have been set for many plants, the branching and leafing are further to be developed.
Presenting my labour of love…..
