Green Business
Says Dr Devika Chandra, MBBS/MD from KGMU Lucknow, who is now a ‘terrarium artist’…
Q: With a completely different background, what made you choose plants for a vocation?
From a young age, I was extremely happy in a garden with flowers and plants. My father was a defense officer, so often we lived in houses with big gardens. My inspiration was my mother who was a keen gardening enthusiast. While pursuing medical science, I did not get an opportunity or time to pursue this passion for gardening. However, when I moved into my own house after getting married, I finally got the opportunity. Initially, I grew bonsais since they look graceful and artistic. Soon I turned towards a type of small garden one creates in a glass container. The art is called “Terrarium” making. Terra= earth; Arium = space. These are small gardens created in enclosed glass containers and are by and large self-sustaining. The ecosystem of the water cycle and oxygen/ carbon dioxide gets established and the system does not need any significant maintenance. The setup lives happily indoors and is never moved out in the open. The longest-living example of this system is a more than 60-year-old terrarium that has never been exposed to the open.
Q: What makes your creations special?
This art of terrarium-making is practical as people find less time or help to maintain big gardens and these occupy minimal space so that you can enjoy a slice of nature inside your living room. It is environmentally conscious gardening since huge amounts of water are not required to sustain them. When occasionally the lid is opened then a rush of oxygen is released and the carbon dioxide from the environment rushes in and facilitates photosynthesis
Q: What major challenges did you face and how did you overcome them?
Challenges faced included: Understanding and researching what plants work in a terrarium; this art is not really known in India, so procuring materials needed a lot of research in terms of vendors and resources and most of the information available is from creators in a climatic zone different from ours.
Q: Which plants are a must-have in every household as per you and why?
Pathos and other evergreen plants release oxygen even indoors and are good for us.
Q: What is your advice to those wishing to follow in your footsteps?
Those wishing to pursue this hobby which is relaxing spiritually and also meditative, need to research and go ahead and take the plunge. Yes, there will be glitches and mistakes but that is the process of learning.
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