Sensei Chitra Thiagarajan offers two snake plant leaves, two red carnations, a bunch of green Chrysanthemums, and some baby’s breath and showsme how to arrange them neatly in a shallow container. A black vessel filled with some water symbolises coolness and refreshment, a symbol of nourishment.
With many others, I was part of a workshop titled ‘Ikebana and Us’ by The Chennai Sogetsu Branch. “This (snake plant) is the shin (the heaven), the tallest element. It should be one-and-a-half times the container and placed at a 15° angle. Followed by the second leaf, soe, at a 45° angle. Three-fourth of the shin, the soe represents humanity or man. The third element is either the Chrysanthemum or the carnation flower called hikae in Japanese. Denoting the Earth, this is placed at a 75° angle. These central concepts in Ikebana serve as guidance for creating any arrangement,” she says.
As she directed, we gakusei (students) followed her enthusiastically. Chitra suggested adding a few branches of baby’s breath to decorate the sponge and fill the empty spaces. The fillers, otherwise called Joshi, should not be taller than the hikae. “Ikebana follows the same symmetry or even on the same line,” said Meenakshi Sarin, a Sogetsu Sensei at The Chennai Sogetsu Branch. “You create a piece with various angles, dimensions, and distances, in a triangular formation. If you get that right, then you are on the right path. It is the balance between the three elements.”
Ikebana was practiced by Buddhist monks who travelled from India to China. It reached Japan in the 6th century with the introduction of Buddhism there. “Ikebana is living plants and water, trying to depict nature to the closest. It is a way of arranging flowers and giving them as an offering to Buddha in Japanese shrines or puja houses called Toko no Mo,” shares Meenakshi.
The seven principles of Ikebana flower arrangement include silence, minimalism, shape and line, form, humanity, aesthetics, and structure. Over the years, people started various styles of arranging the flowers and formed schools. The three main schools are Ikenobo, the oldest, where they follow traditional patterns practised by the Buddhist monks. Ohara is a school where flowers are placed in a flat container and Sogetsu. “Sogetsu is the school that we follow in chennai. It is very open, and different kinds of materials are allowed to be used here...all kinds of unconventional things,” she adds.
Once you get into practice, it is an addiction. She says, “You feel happy with flowers and materials. You are doing something new every time as creations can never repeat. The thrill of putting four leaves, two branches and two flowers together gives a lovely ambience and freshness to the house. So that is a motivation to keep creating more.”
As an art form, Ikebana has been a part of our city since the 70s. Meenakshi’s teacher Malathi Pandurang started practising it in the mid-70s. Five decades later, the community is still close knit.
Over time, people who practiced this art dwindled as maintaining the flowers for a long time is a task. Joyfully, Meenakshi shares that the art picked up over the years with the availability of flowers. “Though the art has evolved and many are taking it up, there is still a lack of awareness. People should know Ikebana exists.”
The Japanese have evolved by taking this art to different spaces beyond temples. “They are disciplined and consistent towards the subject. You cannot be laid-back and not attend to a particular aspect of Ikebana. You have to be constantly working. Once your foundation is strong and you complete courses in Ikebana, the aesthetics comes on its own. It is all a trial,” explains the teacher who has been teaching Ikebana for 14 years.
“We are still trying after so many years. It is the knowledge you collect as you go,” she concludes.