Tharangini Bala
This independence day the essence of Jayachamrajendra Wodeyar’s life and works across various fields will be showcased in a fitting floral tribute during the Lalbagh Flower show. This is on the occasion of the birth centenary celebrations of the 25th and last Maharaja of the ‘Kingdom of Mysore’.
Visitors to the flower show from August 9th to 18th will be treated to a spectacular myriad of floral structures bringing to life the Raja Durbar of Mysore, Chamaraja Wodeyar circle of Mysore and the Chamarajendra zoological gardens. Floral structures of various musical instruments will also be a part of the flower show as a tribute to the Maharaja’s passion and contribution towards both western and Carnatic style of music.
The behind the scene story for a show of this caliber is equally impressive. Speaking to Green Minute, M.Jagadeesh, joint Director for Lalbagh (Horticulture and parks) said over 80 lakhs of cut flowers will be used to make the Maharaja Theme.
With an expected footfall of around 6-7 lakhs inside the glass house during the flower show, the challenge of keeping the flowers fresh for the entire duration is immense. To counter the problem of soil, sand and dust settling on the exhibited flowers, the entire walking path inside the glass house has been covered with mats. Israeli technology of fine misting system has been additionally added to counter the increased temperature inside the glass house during visiting hours. This will be operating continuously on all the days of the show to keep the environment cool and ensure the freshness of the flowers till the very end.
Apart from the work inside the glass house, efforts of the horticulture department also involved the procurement of rare collections of flowering and foliage plants from all across the state and outside.
With over 80 different types of flowering plants each requiring different amounts of time to reach the flowering stage, meticulous calculation is needed to ensure all plants are in the optimal flowering stage in perfect time for the show.
Not only is the time required to flower different but every type of plant needs different type of nutrition and nurture. With Cooke’s cockscomb needing almost 4.5 months to flower and Balsam needing just about a month, the entire preparation began over 4.5 months back says Jagadeesh. Keeping in line with introducing new species every year to the show, visitors this year can look forward to seeing 35 different types of insectivorous plants. These are being specially brought in from Thailand and North east India. Selected collection from public participation and private entrepreneurs will also be exhibited.
After the show the Lalbagh plants are shifted back to the nursery for care and seed collection to prepare for the next flower show.
Maintaining the cleanliness of Lalbagh specially during the flower show is another ball game by itself.
“There will be 60 people from Lalbagh and an added 80-90 volunteers during the show who will be present at the four gates of Lalbagh to conduct mandatory checks to prevent carrying plastics and food items inside. Food courts have been divided into 5 zones with around 3 volunteers intensively monitoring each zone. All prime locations will have around 30 volunteers who will ensure that every small litter is cleared up” says Jagadeesh.
The other task is garbage clearance which is the need of the hour. Garbage from over 400 wet and dry waste bins and other strategically placed jumbo bags all across Lalbagh will be cleared by separate teams and vehicles almost 7 times a day and the waste will be taken for scientific sorting before disposing and recycling.
In addition to all this, street plays, students and volunteers with placards will also endeavor to educate the visitors against littering to ensure public responsible participation in the show.
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