Art for finding inner peace and coping with stress of everyday life is a known fact, but going a step further and working on a living art form is something different.
A senior banker with a leading private bank, D Kishore, finds it very satisfying to work on plants making them grow in the form he visualises.
Bonsai is a ‘live art’ and the bonsai artist has to visualise as to how the plant should grow just like a painter gives shape to his imagination in his mind even before he/she puts a pen to the paper.
The stem can be made to coil around in different shapes, the branches can be pruned to give the leaves a step-down approach to look like a ‘vaalu jada’ (traditional long plait of hair) and the stems of different plants can be grafted to make a single plant to bear flowers of various hues!
“It of course, requires a good amount of time and effort to nurture the plants but the satisfaction I derive from it is inexplicable.
I visualise the plants as a natural work of art and twist the stems in a set pattern to give different shapes to the plant and its foliage. I scout for artistic pots and special rocks and procure them from different parts of the globe to give a special touch to my art,” says Kishore.
He tends to his plants for sometime everyday before the daily grind begins at 9 a.m. and spends a longer time during the weekends.
“Contrary to the perception that it adds to the stress that I go through in my job , I have found that this art acts as a stress buster and helps improve concentration,” he says. He had been an art enthusiast and artist since his childhood. A casual visit to an exhibition in Mumbai about a decade-and-a-half ago changed his outlook towards art. A bonsai display at the expo made him switch over to the ‘live art’ from painting. He attended workshops conducted by world-renowned bonsai experts from India and abroad and learnt the techniques. He has been participating in several exhibitions organised over the last few years and conducts free training classes .His family supports him in his passion by nurturing the plants, watering and pruning them.
A gift to cherish
-You give bouquets for wedding anniversaries, birthdays and other special occasions where At the most the receivers may keep them for a few days and discard them. Those who receive bonsai will cherish it for the rest of their lives and the The colourful designer pots and the shaped plants can match any décor and fit on any table or shelf
- No need for a large space at home to raise bonsai plants. A small table or a 5’X5’ space is enough to add a touch of live art to the drawing room décor.
-They purify the air in your surroundings.
-The art brings out your creativity.
-Relieves stress
-One can bid adieu to weekend parties and concentrate more on bonsai art and spend more time with the family
