\\\'Bonsai has potential to bring about green revolution\\\'

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Munima Sultana | Published: September 12, 2014 00:00:00 | Updated: November 30, 2024 06:01:00

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Bonsai has the potential to make green revolution in the concrete and congested city as the Japanese art enables people to give green touch in small spaces and corners of their buildings.
Bonsai artistes said that greening in small balconies or terrace in apartment and office buildings is possible by nurturing timber and fruit-bearing plants to turn into Bonsai.
This was shared by a group of Bonsai lovers at the Women Volunteer's Association hall during an exhibition that concluded on Monday.
The Bangladesh Bonsai Association (BBA), an alliance of over a hundred Bonsai artistes, organized the four-day exhibition for the 16th time to share the progress of the Bonsai in the country. Over 500 Bonsai were displayed in the exhibition.
The BBA members said although Bonsai has been getting popular in both local and imported timber plants in the country, its full potential could not be tapped due to lack of patronisation.
"We have so far tried to popularise the Chinese and Japanese art formed miniature plants and landscape with our limited resources, but it is needed to spread among people to increase their love for plants," said BBA President Nazma Shafique.
She said as there are some misconceptions among people, many do not want to grow a plant in the form of bonsai and others do not spend time and money to keep these attractive plants at homes or offices.
Farida Samad, also a member of BBA, said to form a Bonsai, one has to provide lots of time and care like kids.
She said an attractive form of Bonsai needs at least 15 years to be properly formed and shaped for which these are priceless.
The BBA during the exhibition has brought Bonsai of different shapes and sizes in attractive pots mostly grown by their members.
They said the exhibition attracted over 2000 viewers many among them also bought bonsai valued over Tk 400,000 to keep the live green paintings either at their homes or gift to their near and dear ones.
The Bonsai displayed in the exhibition varied at least from 50 local varieties of timber and fruit bearing trees to 10 foreign varieties. These included banyan trees, Oshoth, tomal, chinabot, tetul, kamini, telecodom, rangan which were grown up in shapes like upright, informal upright, broom, cascade, semi cascade, slanting, forest etc. Some landscapes with Bonsai including root over rock were also sold during the fair.
The FE has also found a visitor bought a bonsai at Tk 5000 from the exhibition on order from his brother living abroad as she sent some pictures through internet.