From the crowded lanes of the famed weekly ‘plants bazaar’ in Sealdah, Kolkata, to owning UK’s premier bonsai nursery, it’s been an unusual walk for Peter Chan. The electrical engineer from IIT Kharagpur found the world of plants much more interesting than the dry and precise calculations and dynamics of engineering. Peter is a self-taught Bonsai artist and is a household name for bonsai lovers all over the world.
Peter, a Chinese born Indian, moved to the United Kingdom in 1963 and started experimenting with bonsai in 1967 when ceramics was his main hobby. Trained originally as a professional electrical engineer, he worked in the UK’s electricity industry and also as energy policy adviser in the UK’s Department of Energy for over 20 years. The world of plants fascinated him so much that he gave up his career, the security of a good job in 1986 to pursue his hobby of bonsai.
Today his nursery in Surrey – Herons Bonsai spread over seven and half acres of landscaped area, is one of Britain’s most visited destinations. “I have used my hobby to earn a living and to be able to do that is a unique pleasure,” says Peter with a smile in his voice.
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Peter was in the Capital recently to address a gathering of the Indian Bonsai Association and share some handy tips with Indian bonsai enthusiasts. He feels that in India bonsai is at a nascent stage and has more women enthusiasts than men whereas in other parts of the world and Japan in particular, 90 percent men seriously take to bonsai and go to great lengths to perfect this art. Unless both genders are interested in bonsai, in India it cannot assume the position that it has in Japan and in the UK. “In India, it is still perceived to be a woman’s past time and after the initial enthusiasm of trying out a new thing, people get lazy. They would much rather outsource their interest and enthusiasm to a servant or a gardener and move on to other things. Bonsai is about translating artistic image with effort and ingenuity into something practical and yet beautiful. There are no short cuts,” Peter says impatiently.
Peter has authored several books on bonsai which have received wide recognition. Winner of many prestigious awards in Britain including 21 gold medals, Peter still continues to travel all over the world trying to educate people in the right techniques of bonsai and the benefits of practising this art. He feels that in a fast paced life in the city where there is fight over space to park cars, let along grow trees, bonsai can be an uplifting experience. Apart from growing plants in a healthy fashion, bonsai is a good neuro-muscular exercise and also unleashes the innate creativity of a person. It is also a big stress buster and therefore has enormous therapeutic value and one is in touch with nature within one’s own home.
Having pursued his passion for nearly three decades and heading a successful business, Peter still has not forgotten his roots. He comes back to Kolkata every few years to connect with his relatives and friends. People flock to hear him speak passionately about bonsai and are intrigued by the magic that his nimble fingers have crafted over the years. “Without being patronising, I have something to teach. There is so much to learn from plants. They may have a superior level of consciousness that will aid future development,” signs off Peter with conviction.
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