2022 Spring Conferment Of Decorations Conferred Upon  Taruna Agarwal For Promoting Japanese Art In India

Mumbai: Ms Taruna Agarwal, President Of Ikebana International Mumbai chapter #258 becomes one of the foreign recipients of the 2022 Spring Conferment Of Decorations as she received the Order Of The Rising Sun, Gold and Silver Rays by the Government of Japan for her exceptional contributions to promoting Ikebana (Japanese flower arrangements) in India and building friendly relations between India and Japan.

In ikebana, the Japanese art of flower arranging brings out the inner qualities of flowers and other live materials and expresses emotion. Ikebana is rooted in  Buddhist philosophy. The four principles of ikebana are a fresh approach, movement, balance, and harmony, and three elements are line, color, and mass. Today it is a popular and innovative living art, unique to cherish by both experts and novices all over the world. This year, the Government of Japan announced the foreign recipients for the 2022 Spring Conferment Of Decorations and one of them was Ms Taruna Agarwal from India who gave her best to this art. She has been awarded for her valuable and outstanding contribution to this art.

Ms Taruna Agarwal, President Of Ikebana International Mumbai chapter #258 said, “I have been a flower lover right from my young days. My beautiful journey started with Ikebana when I participated in a flower arranging competition in college at the age of 18 in 1971, and won the first prize, without having done any formal training. I actively started participating in competitions and continuously won First prizes. I am an ardent practitioner of Ikebana for 50 years now, as a dedicated student earlier, and now as a renowned teacher for 20 years.  I am proud and elated to have bagged the award and will keep working hard in the near future too. It helps one to represent thoughts via flower arrangement.  It’s an honor and I am truly blessed to be a part of this award ceremony. This art of arranging flowers is soothing, like meditation, and can be practiced as a stress-buster. Also, it brings out one’s creativity and imagination and makes the surroundings look beautiful. I urge more and more people to participate in this and want to make it widely available to the public. This art has brought people of India and Japan together, and will open new avenues for both the countries.”

Ms Taruna is the driving force in making Ikebana International Mumbai Chapter, a dynamic and popular organization. She organizes 5-6 Demonstrations, 2-3 workshops, 1 Ikebana Exhibition, and 1 Educational excursion every year. She also invites teachers from not only in India but all over the world, to demonstrate in Mumbai. Today, many of her students have graduated under her able tutelage and hold her in great esteem. She is well known as a teacher par excellence. Her multi-disciplinary training in Ikebana has made her an enthusiast of all the schools. Promoting and popularizing this art is very close to her heart and towards this aim, she established the Ikebana International Mumbai Chapter in 2007. She is the Founder and President and continues her service to the promotion of this art as president to this day.

Mr. Fukahori Yasukata, Consulate-General Of Japan in Mumbai Said “The Japanese arrangement of flowers emphasizes on form and balance. Ikebana has evolved among Indian hobbyists into a distinct art form. It is about celebrating an intimate connection with nature. We thank the recipient for Ikebana and for involving many people in it. This will help to create more awareness about it. Ikebana will surely  help with the cultural understanding between the two countries.”