Bodhi @ SPACES

By Vijaya Chamundeshwari 

 It was the second Saturday of March and we Bodhiites marched towards Besant Nagar and found our SPACE to meet and work on our plants. With chairs arranged like a class room and a lengthy bench placed opposite for the speakers of the day our president welcomed his Bodhi family warmly and with pride of the happenings since the beginning of this year. The Japanese embassy had invited us to be part of their celebrations in VR Mall. We felt very honoured to display a few of our bonsai which were appreciated by the visitors. Let’s take a bow to the spirit of Japanese culture. 

 JADE was the plant of the month and Vijji (me) was thrilled to speak about her favourite plant which she considers a jewel amongst the bonsai plants. It was interesting to know that in suitable conditions, it could grow as tall as even 10 feet! The varieties of Jade – Portulacaria Afra, Crassula Ovata, Hummel’s Sunset, Gollum, Hobbit, Variegata and the Blue Bird – each of them had a character and it was nice to know that our members like Mala and Suseela had most of them. Maria spoke about the styles possible, which was just about any style, though cascade was the natural and easier one with the Jade. We had our member Girija even make a pergola out of Jade.

A talk on Jade by Vijji

 

Maria explaning styles in Jade

Sheela Panicker - Show n tell

The Jewel of Bonsai - Jade

Suseela spoke about how it is very difficult to grow an upright style bonsai of any plant. The simple look is deceptive, as we need to train it following rules that hold it upright, with branches alternating and forming a triangle from a wide the base to a narrow-pointed apex. The Jade that she had displayed was an interesting fusion of Upright and Bunjin. Sheela Panicker had a pretty Bunjin style Ficus that had a slanting style fused into it, placed in a cement and cloth painted container that she herself had made. It felt good to see her take pride in being part of Bodhi which groomed her skills in a short span. It was a very informative and an interactive session. Inputs from members coming from different corners of the ‘class room’ with a little kid scurrying in and out made it look more like a living room conversation. With tea & biscuits; cakes & samosas doing the rounds a few plants were bought and a few corrected enthusiastically. Soon it was time to disperse and we bid good bye with our heads filled with info and hands itching to work upon our little greenies. SPACES that had trees watching over all that was happening had a lot to rustle and bustle about.

Happy class room