New Delhi: Ikebana, the art of decorative indoor flower arrangement seems to have evolved among Indian hobbyists into a distinct art form that has come to be regarded by Japanese masters as quite exotic.
"We try to create the outside effect of a garden inside a room. That is the basic aim of Ikebana," says Mythili Radhakrishnan, who has been practicing the art for over 30 years now.
Radhakrishnan is part of the Ohara school, one of the over 2,000 different schools of Ikebana currently practised across the world.
"In Ohara the emphasis is on naturalism. It combines a traditional style with modern innovations. What we practise here in India is quite different from what the Japanese do mainly because the flowers we get here are not common in Japan," she says.
An arrangement of banana leaves set as a dark background to simple flowers is regarded as unique.
"Use of banana leaves, bougainvillea flowers and orchids are something very exotic to the Japanese. They don't have such flowers in their country," says Radhakrishnan.
The beginnings of Ohara school are traced to the introduction of Buddhism to Japan in the sixth century when offerings of flowers were placed on the altar, and later in containers, in honour of Buddha.
Over centuries, Ikebana evolved from the temple to the castle and eventually, to the Japanese home. Today there are three main schools- Ikenobo, Ohara and Sogetsu.
PTI
First Published: Monday, November 23, 2009, 13:17