Bonsai Tree Show Opens In Dhaka

Dhaka, Feb 28: Hidetoshi Ukita, Minister, Embassy of Japan in Bangladesh, told a function on Monday that the existing cultural relations between the two countries were developing further with the increase of the number of Bonsai lovers in Bangladesh.
As an outburst of the friendly relations, exhibition on Bonsai were also being held in Bangladesh on a regular basis, he said addressing the inaugural ceremony of a Bonsai Exhibition and Competition held at Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy in the city.
Ukita said, "Bonsai is a living art that represents scenery, seasonal feeling and natural environment. It is a great interest, hobby or even profession to undertake."
The Bangladesh Bonsai Society and the Embassy of Japan jointly organised the three-day programme that also included a workshop. Susumu Nakamura, one of the distinguished Bonsai Masters in Japan, conducted the workshop held on Sunday.
Professor Mahmudul Haque, Dr Shafiq Ahmed Khan and Yasuharu Shinto Forst Secretary of Japan Embassy also spoke at the function, among others.
A total of 80 Bonsai practitioners of Bangladesh took part in the daylong workshop. The exhibition will remain open for public from 10am to 6pm till today (Tuesday).
Bonsai is one of the traditional Japanese arts that became widely popular during the Edo period between 17th and 19th centuries. It is a re-appearance of natural scenery in planting trees and grasses in a pot.
It is, however, not enough just to plant a tree in a pot and allow nature to take its course, every branch and twig of the tree must be shaped or eliminated until the chosen image is achieved. Bonsai survives a long period of time, often far longer than the life of a human being.