Wild and the Trimmed

KOCHI: The saying that 'flowers are the sweetest things God ever made, and forgot to put a soul into' seems true once you pay a visit to the 30th Cochin Flower Show Exhibition which started at the Ernakulathappan Ground on Tuesday. Once you step inside the exhibition hall, you will have an ethereal feel, the feel of a world where flowers and only flowers are there. The Indian mural paintings and flowers (Chuvar Chitrangalum Pookalum) is this years central theme. It will be real visual treat to people where the paintings are done by eminent artists across India. The mural painting themes range from Kerala, Orissa, Ajanta, Ellora, Radha-Krishna and Jesus and his disciples and many more. “The floral arrangements are designed according to the colour tone of the mural paintings,” says Riji Nath, the flower designer of the exhibition. The life of Jesus is depicted using orange asiatic lily and pink calla lilies. “For each mural painting, specific coloured flowers are used so that it could blend easily with the painting,” says Riji.For an onlooker, the matt like finish flowers and glazing leaves will often be mistaken as artificial flowers at a glance, but these are natural and are imported from countries like Thailand, Sri Lanka and various parts of India. “More than 70 flower varieties ranging from lilium, carnations, anthurium, orchids, gypsophylla, and many more are arranged this year,” says Riji. To arrange the floral stalls with artistic finesse, it took 17 days of hard work for Riji and his wife Kalpana who have been arranging the floral stall of the exhibition for six years. The leaf varieties used are messengiana and leather leaf which adds to style to the floral spread.“This year we have included more Indian varieties of flowers and plants to match the central theme,” says Riji. Even flowers and medicinal plants that were abundant in our courtyards and that have long since vanished from our vicinity are there for the expo. Through this show, the organisers are creating awareness among the new generation about innumerable varieties of flora and fauna.