Zine to poetry: Activities for flower lovers this weekend

It is being hosted by Hoovu Finds, a community of flower lovers

A writer-artist from Bengaluru is inviting people to celebrate flowers in the form of zines, food, poetry and more this weekend.

This is the first offline event of Hoovu Finds, a community for flower appreciation Rohini Kejriwal has been running on Instagram since June.

AF Weekender 2022: Flowers x Art Party is on September 24. Rohini will teach how to make floral-themed zines. Chef Nayantara Menon Bagla will host a lunch made with edible parts of the plant that often go under-utilised — expect rice dyed with blue pea flowers and lotus flower stir fry. You will learn to dye with flowers and string flowers into gajras as a curated list of ‘flower songs’ play in the background.

The Floral Monologues, a photo zine by artist-storyteller Rucha Dhayarkar from the city, will be unveiled but the formal launch will happen at Cubbon Park on September 25. Sketching, mandala-making and poetry are other Sunday activities.

The Instagram page has about 1,200 followers and Rohini is chuffed to find company of other flower lovers. “I find nature therapeutic. I doodle on leaves. I press flowers. I gift flowers,” says the 31-year-old.

The inspiration to start the community came during a meeting with Hoovu Fresh, a startup that delivers fresh puja flowers. “It struck me that there is a lot to celebrate about flowers,” she says. And the Instagram page of Hoovu Finds, which crowdsources literature on flowers, is proof.

There are quotes, haikus and testimonials on flowers and the deep connection people have forged with them. Photos of wild dahlias from a trail in Himachal Pradesh as also flowers dressing up hair are posted. A time-lapse video of Brahma Kamal (Sacred Saussurea) blooming and a clip of an artist painting flowers are up. You will find illustrations of flower markets and sellers, a floral collage, an inflatable installation of a yellow bloom, and embroidered bouquets.

Rohini has also started a monthly newsletter on flowers, ‘The Floral Dispatch’, separate from her much-older newsletter on art, poetry and music ‘The
Alipore Post’.

“We may organise nature walks for children or pick up fallen flowers with them and learn their names. The goal is to make everybody fall in love with flowers,” she talks of the plans.

Event details on @hoovufinds and @thealiporepost on Instagram