KARACHI: Showcasing traditional Japanese bonsai art in Pakistan, the three-day annual bonsai exhibition of the Pakistan Bonsai Society, with some 200 exquisite bonsai displays, opened at the General Waseem Ghazi Bonsai Centre at Zamzama Park on Thursday.

The inauguration was graced by the Consul General of Japan at Karachi Hattori Masaru, who went from the first display to the last one to admire the extensive time, patience and meticulous work involving pruning, wiring and re-potting that helped give the miniature trees their perfect shape.

It was art and horticulture, love, care and discipline that resulted in so many cherished masterpieces.

Founded in 1998 by a group of enthusiasts, Pakistan Bonsai Society is a non-profit organisation of hobbyists. Its founding member and current president Khawaja Mazhar reminded the visitors how one needs to give constant attention to a bonsai by pruning its roots and shoots.

Japanese envoy visits the venue as chief guest on first day of the three-day event

There were several such bonsai masters at the exhibition, proudly displaying their little trees, who were also presented certificates by the society president and the Japanese envoy on the occasion.

The bonsai varieties at the exhibition included Fiscus, Bougainvillea, Clerodendrum, Tamarind and Adenium obesum. Some were quite old, around 65 years of age, and some as young as 15 years old.

Khurram Ali had brought three of his Ficus, all around 18 years of age, to the exhibition. They were his first attempts which had come out looking quite magnificent. “I was quite young when a friend of mine introduced me to bonsai art,” he said. “I had quite a big collection of bonsai at home earlier but then I went abroad and as they need constant care, I left them here at the Bonsai Centre where they received the tender attention they so require,” he said.

Mohammad Azmat Shigeyuki Ataka, who has come to make Pakistan his home, pointed out that bonsai art is great for relieving stress. “That’s also why it is often taken up as a hobby by doctors and military men,” he said.

Pakistan Bonsai Society’s founding president was none other than a busy doctor Shauket Ali Syed. Though he is no longer around, his bonsai collection was also included in the exhibition.

Not everyone at the exhibition was a bonsai expert. Abdullah Gora and Khadija Abdullah said they happen to live in Khawaja Mazhar’s neighbourhood. “And he has given us a few bonsai that he started. We are now learning the art by taking care of our bonsai,” said the gentleman. “It keeps us busy and happy,” his wife added.

Farah Jafri said that she has admired bonsai from a distance since hers died. “I went abroad for a little while to come back and find my bonsai dead. It was heartbreaking. I think it was a victim of over-watering,” she said. “I don’t think I’m going to have another although I do enjoy gardening. It is just that I don’t want to restrict anything from growing,” she added.

Another guest, who likes the miniature trees very much, was Sadia Rashid, the president of Hamdard Foundation Pakistan. “The ones I like the most are the ones with flowers blooming,” she said while pointing to the Bougainvillea and Adenium obesum bonsai with pink flowers at the exhibition.

The bonsai exhibition concludes on Sunday.

Published in Dawn, November 28th, 2025