The Versatility in Flower Design
Written By: Anvitha Voruganti
As a child, whenever we hosted satsang at home, I’d feel so excited as amma prepared malas (garlands) for Baba and Guruji. I would eagerly sit next to her, cutting flowers, folding petals, and breaking off stems, making sure everything was perfectly ready. The idea of transforming simple flowers into something beautiful always mesmerized me. That memory was shared among lots of the geckos and so, during the 2023 summer camp at Haritachala, we couldn’t resist asking Sruti Akka if we could learn how to make malas ourselves, to place in the mandir.
The aunties at camp spent so much time teaching us the basics of mala making. They patiently demonstrated the tying techniques, guiding us at first and then letting us try ourselves. The tying motion was tricky at first; we fumbled with the strings. But their encouragement kept us going, and eventually, after practicing again and again, we were able to get it. The process became easier, and soon, it was time to learn with the needle. The aunties must have had endless patience to handle our excitement and chaos! Not only did they prepare the strings, needles, and flowers for us, but they also took time to show us all the different ways to string flowers. With each variation they shared, we saw how much care went into even the smallest aspect of the malas. And while the stringing was more intricate, with the aunties' support, we eventually grasped it.
Our days weren’t just about malas, though. During the previous year’s camp, Sruti akka had once shared how people would press leaves in notebooks, later giving these pressed leaves to someone they respected or viewed as a teacher. Inspired, we decided to press leaves from a tree at Haritachala as a token of appreciation for her. On the last day, our plan was to give them to her, a small gesture of thanks for her guidance. This year, the flower pressing activity was made extra special by Pradeep uncle and Sridevi aunty, who went out of their way to gather all the materials we’d need. We set off around Haritachala to pick flowers that caught our eye. We placed a layer of wood, then paper, then flowers, repeating until everything was neatly layered.
As we pressed our chosen flowers, we shared laughter and sang songs. Though our final results weren’t perfect, we had learned so much and enjoyed every minute. We owe so much gratitude to the aunties, uncles, and Sruti akka, who dedicated their time, energy, and love to teach us. We left with new skills, warm memories, and a deeper connection to the traditions that now feel like our own.
