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Issue
187 - The Indian Design Magazine - Dated : December 2000
Issue Reported by - Latha Warrier
One
of the early entrants into professional landscaping
way back in 1973, S. Kumar L. Shah, proprietor of the
Green Thumb equates landscaping with the performing
arts. "After all, landscaping," he points
out, "is about giving expression to emerging ideas
and calls for an incessant interaction of the artiste
with nature to give form to his art." |
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In
keeping with his unconventional beliefs, the landscapes
designed by him dare to bring in new and untested ideas
and are dynamic and constantly evolving.
Take
for example the Britannia Roundabout Garden at Haji
Ali. Once spread over 24,000 sq. feet of land, the circle,
as S Kumar points out, was the first to bring the concept
of Japanese gardens into Mumbai. With dry streams, small
bridges and Japanese lanterns, the once unkempt |
circle
went on to win many accolades over a period of twelve
years. Eventually as traffic pressures increased and
the roundabout had to be dismantled, in its place three
small triangles, not over 5,000 sq. feet in all were
then handed over to the Green Thumb for reconstruction.
Undaunted, they rebuilt two identical triangular gardens
with a third and smaller strip used to offset the symmetry.The
main triangles at Haji Ali have been rebuilt using a
mixture of the Indo-Japanese style. Dry streams surround
a curved and elongated island of lawn and randomly cut
stones are used to form a pathway onto the grass. |
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Carefully
created red laterite blocks have been assembled to form
mounds at various places in the marble chip streams
with river pebbles placed around them to highlight the
mounds. Golden duranta hedges sparkle in the sunlight
unmitigated by the mass effect of the mauve lantanas
that border the dry stream on the other side.Though
the plants used are tough and hardy to enable easy maintenance,
they lend colour and brilliance to the landscape. Miniature
bamboo topiaries adorn the three corners of the lawn
while the yucca, a small palm-like plant, an agave |
and
an alpinia zerumbet form focal points. An unusual addition
to the traffic garden is the calliandra, or the powder
puff plant, which stands next to the suitably camouflaged
electric box. "It's a plant that I fancy,"
shrugs Bharat Khakharia, Chief Associate who looks after
the execution of the projects, "you'll also find
a tulsi in all our gardens, as I believe it brings good
luck." |
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However,
it's been more than just good luck that's helped the
Green Thumb reach where it has today. "We have
worked hard," points out Bharat, "and over
the years, we have built up both a strong clientele
and a very good reputation. Consequently, we ask for
complete freedom in our work and do not hesitate to
experiment with new ideas, however bizarre." At
the island sponsored by the Orchid Hotel at Tardeo junction,
this comes across clearly. |
The
focal point of the garden, which grabs one's attention
from a distance, is a tree like structure, coated in
silver. Silvers of silver coated bamboo form arched
borders and the root of a golden bamboo, dried and painted
forms a backdrop for two terracotta lions' heads. In
addition unusual rock arrangements made of green slate
add to the list of oddities that like the center of
the triangle. On both sides of these ornamental pieces
lies a linear arrangement of mussandas, hibiscus hedges
combined with acalyphas, golden durantas, red hedges,
and bordered with white lantanas, bring a lot of colour
to the island. |
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Their
passion for the unusual can also be seen in the scrapture
- a sculpture created out of scrap - at the Ceat island
at Nariman Point. Made by Arzan Khambatta in 1995, the
abstract rhino catches one's eye from far away. Though
a grill surrounds the island, the triangle is left incomplete
with a gap in two of the corners, which allows the rocks
and a bit of the garden to spill out. A tiles pathway
bordered by silvers of silvercoated bamboo allows pedestrians
a closer look. Another island that is frequently used
is the Ambedkar garden at Rajabai Tower. Again |
sponsored
by the Orchid Hotel, the garden houses a statute of
Dr. Ambedkar and consequently cannot be completely shut
off to the public. Though the plants used are far from
exotic, the colours are brilliant and sparkle in their
glory. Deep red and yellow lantanas capture the imagination
and realization gradually dawns that the golden green
leaves of the hedges belong to the humble sweet potato.
The colourful and bushy growth is used to maximum advantage.
Another innovation is seen in the slabs of green lawn
that are used as pathways or merely |
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Placed
at the borders of the lawn. These slabs come in handy
when pieces of the lawn are inadvertently damages and
need to be replaced fast. Stone chips in three different
colours - red, white and cream are used to offset one
another.
It is the spiritual value of gardens that the Green
Thumb tries to capture in all their landscaping projects.
Besides traffic islands, the organization enjoys a large
clientele among factory owners and S Kumar points out
how invariably the gardens they built for them would
result in an increase in the worker's efficiency and
attendance. "Gardens must touch the human spirit,
the moment you make contact, whether in a fleeting glance
or hours spent in it," believes S Kumar, "they
must soothe the eye and tickle one's imagination."
Qualities, which are found in all his work. |
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