Saumik Das (52) first came across bonsai plants at a horticultural festival in Delhi's Talkatora Stadium in the early 1990s.
He says, "It was like something out of a movie, like a magic wand had shrunk the trees." "I couldn't help but touch them, being the curious 12th grader that I was." An elderly gardener chastised me, pointing out the high cost of the plants. I couldn't quit wondering how one went about planting them when I got home."
After decades of thought, the owner of a Vaishali-based barcode manufacturing firm now also runs a thriving little business of bonsai and penjing plants, caring for over a thousand of them at his nursery in Noida, Grow Green Bonsai.
"I started growing bonsai plants because I adore them." It's truly living art; if you take proper care of them, they can live for up to 400 years and be passed down to future generations. On the rooftop garden of my last apartment, I had 200 of them at one point. This helped me prove the genuineness of my interest to the Indian Bonsai Association, which accepted me as a member in 2010," Saumik says.
"Inevitably, I was exposed to a network of horticulturists in the National Capital Region and other metro cities, and I began exhibiting my work at horticultural festivals across the country." My friends and relatives remarked on how unusual this was and urged me to start a business in late 2018. Grow Green Bonsai was up and running by the following year. We also cultivate and sell succulents, cactus, and other exotic plants, but their sole goal for me is to raise awareness of bonsai among plant aficionados who are unfamiliar with the great art," he adds.
The bonsai nursery delivers to houses across the NCR and encourages corporate personnel to give the plants as gifts to their loved ones as home decor. "A nice bouquet costs roughly Rs 1,500; instead, why not give folks a long-lasting symbol of good luck?" Saumik wonders.
Grow Green Bonsai Farm
The Grow Green Bonsai farm, which is stretched out over 4,000 square yards alongside the Noida Expressway, is a refreshing splash of green. There are up to 30 types of bonsai trees potted in vividly coloured ceramic containers of various sizes, four resident gardeners, and even a family of 20 ducks living there. "After being chased by a street dog, two of them ran into our farm. He laughs, "I didn't have the heart to drive them out, and they fit perfectly in."
The businessman is well-known in India's horticultural community, and he even serves as an ambassador for the South Asia Bonsai Federation. However, he claims that it was his self-taught expertise that allowed him to start his commercial path.
Grow Green Bonsai differs from other similar nurseries, according to Saumik, because of its focus on penjing architecture.
"Bonsai means 'tree in a pot' in Japanese. Penjing, on the other hand, is a Chinese phrase that means "miniature landscape" in English. A penjing plant is essentially a bonsai with the addition of natural components such as rocks, stone, grass, and a (fake) waterfall mechanism. "It's a never-ending art because the plants keep growing, so we have to groom and wire them all the time," he explains.
A Great Way To Pass The Time
"When you bring a bonsai plant home, you essentially become its root caretaker." This necessitates ongoing maintenance, but it isn't an expensive endeavour," Saumik explains.
"A natural booster every 25-30 days helps with its nutrient needs, and regular watering is a necessity." Many horticulturists use chemical fertilisers, but we use a locally derived blend of bone meal, neem khali, sarson khali, vermicompost, and horn dust that costs only a few rupees per 50 grammes," he says.
Saumik teaches beginning and advanced bonsai art courses at Grow Green Bonsai, as well as classes for institutes like Noida Horticulture Society and Indraprastha Horticulture Society on an as-needed basis. In light of the pandemic, he has also conducted sessions at nurseries, kitchen gardens, and clubs in other places such as Ludhiana, Agra, Kolkata, and Vijayawada, as well as a few online lectures.
While his classes cost roughly Rs 2,800 per participant, he claims that each one receives a "free experience."
"We use the fees to provide them with a bonsai plant, a ceramic container, aluminium wires, pebbles, moss, and any other materials needed to create a penjing plant." We provide food and refreshments for the workshops, which are normally held over two days. "Not only do the participants learn a new skill, but they also have something to show for it when they take their creations home," he explains.
"Taking care of a bonsai plant not only teaches patience, but it's also a great way for students, physicians, and other working professionals to fit a pleasant hobby into their busy schedules," he says.
Saumik told that “The annual turnover to grow green bonsai has been between Rs 35 & Rs 50 lakh till now.”
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