Bangalore, Aug 8: The annual Independence Day flower show at Lalbagh was inaugurated by Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Wednesday.
Organised by the Department of Horticulture and Mysore Horticultural Society, the 198th show was thrown open to the public soon after the inauguration.
A 35-foot-long floral houseboat, displayed at the Glass House, is the star attraction. Organisers said the showpiece, complete with special water effects, had been decorated with more than two lakh roses of different colours. A total of 35 workers created it, the horticulture department officials said.
Isora Gonsale, a visitor from Spain, said: “The floral boat is impressive and so are the fresh flowers. Though I have visited India three times, I never got an opportunity to visit Lalbagh. Finally, here I am.”
Apart from the regular stalls selling wooden toys, jute bags, toolkits for gardening, plant seeds among others, a large collection of bottled grape wine prepared by the Karnataka Wine Board was on display, too. “As many as 14 wine brands will be on display till August 15. But they are not for sale. This is our second exhibition at Lalbagh and our main objective is to make people aware of the health benefits of grape wine,” said Krishna Bellur, Managing Director, Karnataka Wine Board.
Hand replicas
Two mega hand replicas – one showing a cluster of germinated seedlings and the other holding a few bowls of fruits – were a big disappointment. Some visitors said the hands resembled a penguin and others said it looked like the head of a kangaroo and so on.
Sheila J, a visitor, said: “I am a bit confused what these mega hand replicas are all about. The hand looks more like a penguin. The authorities could have done it much better in terms of execution and technique.”
Another visitor Latha said the replica does not look like a hand at all.
Gunawantha J, deputy director of the Lalbagh Horticulture Department, however, said: “To show the clusters of seedlings and fruits, we have placed a basket on each of the hands. Hence, it is looking slightly different.”
Sources in the department said only about 10,000 visitors had turned up on the first day of the show. The day's collection exceeded Rs two lakh, they added.
CM for tissue culture
Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Wednesday said more farmers should adopt the tissue culture method of growing plants as it yielded high quality and disease-free produce. He advised the Horticulture Department to extend its support to farmers to adopt new plant technologies.
“The Animal Husbandry, Horticulture and Agriculture departments should be given more importance as farmers are closely associated with them. We have also allotted more funds in the budget towards it,” Siddaramaiah said.
He declined to comment on the parking bay issue at Lalbagh as the matter was sub judice. Various sections of the public, including Lalbagh Walkers' Association, have opposed the construction of a parking lot on the premises of the botanical gardens.
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