Pongal is a time to celebrate our farmers’ toil and their harvest. At DakshinaChitra, it is also a time to celebrate flora and food, with the Garden Fest and Street Food Festival. The event is a feast for the eyes and the palate.
Visitors admire the bonsai on display, pruned with passion by Suseela Vergis, who heads the Garden Club, an offshoot of the Friends of DakshinaChitra. “I have over 600 bonsai at home, and spend around five hours a day on them. Contrary to popular perception, bonsai came from India.” says Suseela, who laments the dwindling young audience for bonsai in the city.
Miniature gardens are a big hit at the garden fest, and Sorrel Farms’ stall has a serpentine queue. Dr Gohulabalan, a cardiologist, is also a garden couturist.
“I work the night shift, and in the few free hours I get every morning, I set up my miniature gardens. They’re a happy mix of miniature cacti microcosms and other plants native to the area.”
Terrariums are a big draw among the young crowd. Royston Miranda of Maple Gardens says, “Our main clientèle consists of people aged 20 to 30, who follow us on social media. Terrariums are not just about the plants, there is an element of creativity, of adding little touches that reflect your personality.”
Hobbyist Leema Rosaline, who runs a blog about her passion for plants, has over 1,000 cacti and succulents at home, but got into the retail space just a few years ago.
She even makes her own pots. “I usually pick up my plants at Bengaluru, Darjeeling, and Kalimpong,” says Rosaline.
As pots of all shapes and sizes find their way to new homes, drumbeats suddenly command attention. TG Raju’s troupe puts on a spirited display of traditional Tamil dance forms such as poikal kuthirai , mayilattam, and karagattam .
The performances are part of the ongoing Margazhi festival that showcases South Indian dance forms through January.
At the other end of the venue, you can smell the hot embers as kebabs and naans are prepared on hot coals. The street food festival has a delectable range of regional delicacies, from pork fry and appam and stew from Kerala, to gongura chicken from Andhra Pradesh, desserts from Karnataka and a favourite of visitors both young and old, goli soda.
Sharath Nambiar, Deputy Director at DakshinaChitra wants to take the event up a notch, in the coming year.
“This commingling of gardens and good food, goes back three years. Over 3,000 visitors attend the festival during the Pongal holidays. By the end of the year, we hope to present a flower show. We will have private garden competitions, ikebana and bonsai workshops and displays from across the city.”
The Garden Fest and Street Food Festival is on till January 16, at DakshinaChitra, Muttukadu.
Published - January 15, 2019 02:13 pm IST