Retelling tales of the Ramayana with a twist of Ikebana

Henna Rakheja

Flowers herald festivities in India and add to the merriment. And in Japan, the practice of arranging dried flowers and leaves, etc, or Ikebana, is an art that’s more than 600 years old! One might find parallels of this Japanese art with a rangoli of flowers, but that’s not really true, for Ikebana is niche, exclusive, and has to be seen to be believed.

It’s only once in a while when Denizens get to see this art form. And, at the display by masters of Ikebana — Meena Iyer and Simran Sadana — it isn’t just the art of flower arrangements, but also the ethos of Ramayana that will be highlighted, probably for the first time together. Sadana, who has been practising this art for about a decade now, says, “Half of the time I’m just defining to people what Ikebana means… It’s a very meditative practice, and is all about testing your patience.” Once she achieves this, it becomes important for her and her teacher, Iyer, to explain to the viewers that this art is not just about flowers. “Not just flowers but vases, dried mushrooms, pin holders, and greens also have significance in Ikebana,” Iyer adds.

Iyer took a few Ikebana lessons, and then in 1982 took up the art form in its entirety. Sadana, who is one of her students now, took up Ikebana as a hobby during her school days in Japan. Sadana recalls, “I was in my early 20s when I started learning Ikebana. The idea was to just join a summer school in my masters. But, since last 10 years, pursuing it has been my decision... When you go to Japan, Ikebana is very main stream, but in India if I look at the spectrum of things, the main missing link is the lesser awareness of this art”.

Not just the form, even the concept of this showcase is something that would excite any artistic mind. And a visitor must look forward to seeing scenes straight out from the chapters of Ramayana. Simran explains, “In the initial years of leaning, one is just taught the basics and that’s what I followed. This year, the idea was to go a little more by bringing in a storyline in the arrangements.”

As easy the idea of using flowers for representation might sound, one is sure to rethink after visiting the exhibition.