When my Jaipur dates were booked, I was looking for events that were happening during those dates. Then I found a post on Instagram about the 13th World Flower Show – Grand Floral Affair in Jaipur from 24th February to 1st March 2020. I was landing on 27th February so I decided to check it out on that very day. After checking in to the hotel and freshening up, I grabbed my tripod and went to Diggi Palace Hotel, the venue for the flower show.
Registration
I had to first register for the event and the entry fees was INR 300. I didn’t think much about the price at that time but now I can say that it was totally worth it. They had given a wrist band before entering, which then I learnt was stuffed with basil plant seeds. It was an amazing thought that they wanted people to remember this event through having the visitors grow a basil plant in their house. What a wonderful idea!
Entrance
After entering a beautiful archway decorated with pink and red puppet dolls, then came the passage which had series of earthen pots with flowers hanging from above. I was already impressed with so much of beautiful decoration around me.
Exhibit Hall 1
There were 5 different halls. All were themed differently.
First hall manifested installations country wise, from A to Z. The floral artists from all over the world had shown their unique talent and culture through just one thing – flowers. They were not just installations but a representation of their own countries. Just looking at them closely, one would understand how much intricate work was done.
Exhibit Hall 2
Second hall was again more flowers but in the theme of spring, palaces and peacocks. There were miniature paintings and other artworks mixed with flowers that depicted spring time. And then there were peacocks, which showed the vastness and grandiose of palaces. I just can’t express how gorgeous these pieces looked in real. I wondered how they managed to bring all the flowers and plants from different countries. What I witnessed was amazing beauty, but the task behind putting this show would have been very difficult.
Before I take you to the third hall, let me tell you that there wasn’t a single plain colourless sight throughout the event venue. The passageways between the exhibition halls were all decorated with unique styles. Since the event was in India and especially because it was in Jaipur, I could see the Indian elements in between those spaces. All the sitting corners and even the water booths were so creatively adorned with Indian printed fabrics and hanging embellishments.
Exhibit Hall 3
So, in the third hall, one side there were bouquet type creatives which were done by various global artists. On the other side, there were different artworks created by Indian artists by using only bamboos and marigolds. It is unimaginable what one can do with simply using the floral components. I felt like it was an honour for me to be standing there and looking at those displays.
Exhibit Hall 4
Then came the fourth hall of exhibition. This made me speechless. The amount of talent I could see here was totally mind blowing. I don’t really know how to describe these artworks. I think I will call them floral weaving. They were immensely beautiful. Just look at these pictures and you will understand the detailed work done here.
There were also many many other floral installations in this exhibition hall. The uniqueness of each and every piece was worth watching. Flowers, here, were combined with other articles to give a different perspective to the floral art.
Apart from these, there were paghdis (crowns/headgears), which were decorated with seeds, lentils, cloves, cardamom, nuts, jute ropes and what not. The intricate work done here is commendable. I don’t really have many words to appreciate these very talented artists.
Food Area
After giving such sweet treat to the eyes, mind and heart, it was time to treat the stomach.
The food area was again very wonderfully decorated and the spaces was utilized very creatively. I grabbed a banana strawberry smoothie and went to chill inside the pool. No, the pool was not filled with water but it was beautifully converted into a sitting area. The colours popped from everywhere and there was not a single black and white moment throughout the venue.
After chilling under the colourful fabric wheel and taking some pictures of myself with the tripod, I walked ahead to see what’s next.
Bazaar Area
Next was the Indian Bazaar. And it is needless to say how many colours one can find here. With the gorgeous array of clothes and articles, mixed with cute hangings from the trees, the bazaar was giving a delightful glimpse.
Jaipur in Grids
This installation was placed right in the middle of the bazaar area and was actually the center of attraction. Since, Jaipur is the first planned city of India, this installation was a dedication to that idea of town planning. My favourite part of this installation was the cute hanging metallic pink Hawa Mahal in the middle.
Exhibit Hall 5
The show was almost coming to an end. But before that, there was one another exhibition hall that fully comprised of different types of Indian art mixed with flowers. Indian artworks like blue pottery, Madhubani painting, wooden carving, weaving, etc. were combined with flowers that are found in India.
Here again, the centre piece took away everyone’s attention. This was the Rangoli of an Indian woman behind a veil. It was aptly named Rangoli of transparency. For those who don’t know, Rangoli is an artwork done on the floor with coloured powder/sand particles. Since I also create Rangolis during Diwali, I know about this art and I can say that the transparent effect of the veil given in this Rangoli is the hardest thing to do. I couldn’t stop admiring this wonderful piece of art.
Later, there was a stall where students of the art college were giving demonstrations on tie dyeing, block printing, sketching and painting. To watch a final piece of art always gives a feeling of peacefulness but to watch the process of the creation gives a sense of understanding behind an artist’s perspective.
Epilogue
With this, the grand floral affair came to an end and it was time for me to make an exit. There were volunteers at the exit gate to remind everyone to not throw the wrist band as it contained basil seeds and it is meant to be planted. I spent almost 3.5 hours to watch the entire flower show and there was not a single second that bored me.
Unfortunately, this World Flower Show – Grand Floral Affair is a triennial event so you will have to wait for another three years to mesmerize yourself. My Jaipur trip timed with this show and hence, I got this wonderful chance to attend, appreciate and admire this event. If you are looking forward to attend the next event, then it is going to take place in New Zealand.
Video
To sum up everything about this 13th World Flower Show – Grand Floral Affair, I have created one beautiful video for you to watch. It is my first episode of Jaipur Diaries – a series on my YouTube channel.
I hoped you loved reading this post as much as I loved watching the show. Let me know your views in the comment section below. Also don’t forget to react and share this post.
See you next week with some more travel content
Happy Wandering!
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