KARACHI: Over 150 miniature-size trees nurtured with love and attention fascinated visitors on the opening of the three-day 27th Annual Bonsai Exhibition of the Pakistan Bonsai Society at the Bonsai Centre of Zamzama Park here on Friday.

The Bonsai on display ranged from 15 to almost 65-year-old trees, which included different varieties such as Fiscus, Bougainvillea, Clerodendrum, Tamarind, Adenium obesum, etc.

All of the Bonsai trees belonged to personal collections and none of them were for sale though they did offer plenty of inspiration for many gardening enthusiasts present on the occasion.

The oldest Bonsai in the exhibition was a 64-year-old Banyan tree from the collection of Pakistan Bonsai Society’s late founding president Dr Shauket Ali Syed.

The other trees at the exhibition, too, all grown with care in their small, shallow containers were a piece of art and history rolled into one.

It takes lots of patience to grow a Bonsai tree through careful pruning and wiring, which helps the trees mimic the shape and scale of full-sized, mature trees.

They symbolise harmony, balance and the connection between nature and human creativity.

According to the Pakistan Bonsai Society, the cultivation of Bonsai trees is attributed to Japan where many years ago Buddhist monks from India and China came down to settle along with their art.

These monks, before coming to Japan, were known to travel from place to place for preaching. They were knowledgeable about medicinal plants, which they also carried around with them in the form of Bonsai as it was not possible to move as much as they did with huge trees or normally potted plants and herbs. The word ‘Bonsai’ is actually a Japanese term, which means ‘planted in a container’.

At the exhibition, it was amazing to see how Bonsai artists in Karachi had turned so many different tree species into miniature trees standing small and proud in their containers. Some of the tamarind and citrus trees had also borne fruits.

The Bonsai Exhibition concludes on Sunday.

Published in Dawn, November 30th, 2024