JOIN US It was a day of flowers, petals and fragrance at Chinmaya Mission where the competition of traditional flower decoration of Kerala, called Pookalam, took place.
Combining tradition with modern ideas, 28 teams from different parts of the city participated.
The teams belonged to various Malayali associations, travel and tour companies and area associations of Keralites. Even though only one team could win the top title, a number of them showed they could think beyond the obvious.
“Our pattern was divided into three parts. The central core was from traditional Kerala motifs. The next ring represented rising sun with a 3D effect. The last ring was representation of mathematical calculations,” said Nidhin Kumar of the winning team, from Mayur Vihar Phase III.
The all-male team has previously won the runner up title twice.
Presence of nearly 20 members from the area to cheer the team was an indication of the seriousness to win in the competition.
Pookalam is the traditional multi-coloured flower design of Kerala marking the beginning of the 10-day rituals of Onam.
The flowers, some of which are specially flown from Kerala, are arranged with imagination to show different themes.
This was the eighth edition of the competition, organised annually by the daily Malayala Manorama. Each team consisted of five participants.
Designs were to be filled primarily with flowers and petals, with a maximum of 25 per cent of artificial colour like gulal or tree leaves for green colour allowed.
“The judges decide on various parameters. They see how much the traditional way of flower decoration is being followed by the teams. The number of kinds of flowers is another criteria. Use of artificial colours is a deterrent for the contestants,” said D Vijayamohan of the newspaper.
One design celebrated the spirit of India’s performance in Olympics. In a background of a fluttering Indian tricolour, Olympic’s London 2012 logo reminded one and all of the six medals of India. To depict skills in floral designing in three hours, the teams start planning and preparation well in advance.
“We worked on it for 10 days. First we selected designs from the internet and shortlisted eight after a redesigning a little. Then the team sat with other association members to finalise one pattern and colours,” said Indu Venugopal of Indirapuram Malayali Association, Ghaziabad. The team was participating for the first time in the contest.
Flowers of all hues and colours were being used, but in different ways. Either the whole flower was used, or its petals, or the petals were cut into smaller parts for a different effect.
Participants said they decided placement of flowers according to fragrance too. And their thoughtfulness was evident as the big hall had a nice mix of perfumes of mogra, lotus and other flowers.