The flower show

Between the 15th-17th August, a flower exhibition was held at Savitri Bhavan, dedicated to flowers with special significances for Sri Aurobindo and the supramental consciousness. The exhibition hall always has a special atmosphere, but for three days this was enhanced by the simple but artistic flower presentations, accompanied by delicate flower drawings by Jyoti Khare and quotations from Sri Aurobindo and The Mother in beautiful calligraphy.

This is the fifth such flower exhibition. “Normally it runs from 21st-28th February,” explains Naren, one of the organizing team, “but this one is special because it marks the beginning of the 150th celebrations of Sri Aurobindo’s birth.”

The initiative for the first flower exhibition came from Ramachandra. He recalls that in his Ashram school in Orissa there was always a special flower arrangement on darshan days. “We would put flowers, along with incense and Mother’s photo, in a room, and people were magically attracted there because of the special atmosphere. I wanted to do the same thing in Auroville. The first exhibition here was very hard work, but now that a team has formed I know it will continue. It’s like a dream come true.”

Clearly, it is quite a logistical exercise to acquire all the flowers needed for each exhibition, and ensure they are always looking fresh. How do they do it?

“We divide the work up between us,” says Naren. “I do the accounting and purchasing, Poonam the flower decoration, and Surendra makes the nursery here. It normally takes 2-3 months to prepare an exhibition, although this time it came at the request of the 150th anniversary team and we were only given 2-3 weeks to prepare. We generally choose between 70-80 plants that are in season. The flowers come from Auroville and Ashram gardens, but we also need to purchase some from Ooty and Kodaikanal.” Every day the flowers are sprayed, and those that are wilting are replaced.

“We were wondering how to do this exhibition at such short notice,” says Ramachandra, “but then people turned up at just the right time to help. It’s a bit of a miracle. It makes me feel we are just the instrument. Something else is guiding and working through us.”

As one enters the room of the flower exhibition, one senses this is a very special space. “Thank you for the fragrant and luminous atmosphere,” wrote one visitor. “Sri Aurobindo came to bless how a physical place came to be transformed into something tangibly spiritual,” wrote another. “Comments like these are so encouraging. They really motivate us,” says Naren. “Clearly, the exhibition really touches people directly to their hearts. Mother said flowers are a direct link to the Divine; there’s nothing much that needs to be explained.”

The team will continue organizing flower exhibitions during Mother’s birthday week, which includes two days of flower workshops for schoolchildren. But they are also working on a project to establish a permanent garden for the flowers to which Mother has given significances. “Instead of plucking flowers and putting them in an exhibition, we thought, let’s enjoy them in a natural environment,” says Naren. They need about five acres of land, three acres for what can be grown easily, and two acres for exotic plants or plants that require special care in greenhouses.

“It’s our next challenge. We are already in talks with the Town Development Council to find a place. We hope to create a special atmosphere there for visitors who want to experience and learn more about Mother’s plants,” concludes Naren.