A chance meeting with Mrs Santosh Arora, the president of Avadh Bonsai Association, Lucknow and a visit to her Bonsai Garden a few years later, brought back the immensely captivating feeling & the resolve to learn more about the subject. The fact that Bonsai is a work of art, resulting from many years of patient care and constant attention by its owner came to light, by meeting Mrs Arora who has been creating some of the most beautiful Bonsai’s for over 30 years now and who has also been instrumental in starting a Bonsai Club in Lucknow and teaching this extraordinary art to new enthusiasts like myself. Just watching her conduct a workshop on Bonsai with such energy and dedication inspires me as well as, all her students to learn more about this vast subject and create a much admired Bonsai from an ordinary garden plant.
Even in my wildest dream, I had never thought that one fine day this fascination for Bonsai, would take me all the way to China to attend the BCI 2006 International Penjing, Shangshi Exposition & Convention. Attending the week long convention at the Chencun Flower World, Foshan, provided me the wonderful opportunity to travel with Nita Singh, Suman Agarwal & her spouse, Benu Kalsi, & her spouse from Lucknow & to learn more about the various aspects of this art form, from world renowned Bonsai masters & also meet like-minded enthusiast from different countries, across the world.
Chinese Penjing, or Bonsai, as we call it here in India combines the beauties of nature, art and artistic conception of plants by human beings to create splendid masterpieces appreciated by one and all. The Grand Master Masahiko Kimura from Japan demonstrated his skills on a huge Cypress Penjing while Lindsay Bebb from Australia created the impression of Aged Cypress implementing intricate wiring techniques and advanced carving techniques, using his high powered Bonsai tools.
Qingquan Zhao from China demonstrated his skills working on Fraxinus Chinensis to create a beautiful Shui-han (water and land) Penjing. An advanced group style Penjing by Yun hua Hu and Chun-gang Liu also from Mainland China impressively incorporated the idea of placing a flowing water fountain on the curvaceous marble slate with a group of Hai Nan Flambeau tree ( Bischoffia chunii) Penjing. The picturesque jungle created by them was so natural and harmonious, for a viewer to actually imagine the chirping of the birds amidst the trickling flow of water down a stream and the sashaying of the flambeau trees, in this miniaturized Penjing. Qin-fei Zhu, Singapore created the most amazing piece of art with completely defoliated trees of Wrightia Religiosa (Water Jasmine) placed together in a well balanced group interwoven with rocks of all sizes on a 1.7 mts. long marble slate.
Robert Steven, Indonesia while working on Triphasia Trifolia (wild Lemon) to create a windswept Group Planting on Rock emphasized on the essence of the key word “MOTION”. The movement of wind, gentle or strong and the winds effect on the group of trees and their individual branches and twigs.
Zhong- mingLiu/ Ke-ying Xie demonstrated their skills in creating a Lingnan Penjing on various plants using the clip and grow method, advocated by the Lingnan school of Bonsai (Penjing) from Guangzhou. Han-lian Yang / Song-en Wu also emphasized on few trimming techniques after completely defoliating the plant and later trimming the individual branches, sub branches, step by step while shaping the overall personality of the plant into a beautiful Lingnan Penjing.
The individual lectures on Global Penjing and Evolution of World Bonsai Friendship Federation (WBFF) by its outgoing President, Solita Rosade, Latin America; and on different types of Japanese Suiseki, by Arishge Matsura, Japan are worth mentioning.
It was indeed a Dream Come True…… for a novice like me, to meet our very own Bonsai Masters from India, Jyoti and Nikunj Parekh who are the pioneers of this wonderful art of Bonsai in India. A gala get-together was organized for them with lots of singing, dancing, to celebrate the auspicious occasion of their wedding anniversary in China along with lots of friends from across India.
The trip to china has been truly enriching and worth the while, as I now appreciate the variable splendor of nature in the form of a delicate, lovingly crafted Penjing even more. The knowledge gained & the memories of the convention will definitely linger on in my hearts rendezvous for a long time to come…………..
PS: An abridged version of my write up has been published in Nichin Bonsai 2006.
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