Thread Garden

There is one and only one place in all of southern India where you can see your breath in the cool of the evening and Ooty is that place. Though we have boiled, roasted, sweated, cooked, and even suffered a bit, the cool weather here is not the reason we chose to stop in Ooty. We came to Ooty for the Thread Garden Flower Show. For a mean 30 rupees (about 75 cents) the Flower Show promised,

"You can see inside the great "thread garden" a world miracle in art creation moving to Guinness record. Introducing for the first time in world a very natural looking embroidered garden full of beutiful plants, flowers, grass, lotus ponds etc. Exclusively designed using embroidery threads measuring more than 60 million meter in length with the highly skillful, strainful and minute hand craftsmanship of 50 specially trained artists for 12 years without touching a single needle or any other machinery, but really challenging a computer machine like perfection.

You don't miss the chance to see the Ooty's uniques and major attraction which is the highest art creation ever born in world." [sic]

To our untrained eyes this world wonder look like little more than a collection of poorly lit fake flowers in need of a dusting. Fortunately however, the infinite wisdom and of the creators supplied us with a collection of signs insuring our enlightenment and guaranteeing that we would have the necessary education to appreciate the wonder before our eyes.

1. Introducing for the first time in the world, a very natural looking comprising of many natural models of plants and flowers, creepers, climbers, lawns, lotus ponds etc. in the most natural ambience.

2. Challenging a computerised machinery like perfection with the skillful effort of 50 specially trained artists for 12 years.

3. Through many scientific and artistic observations and experiments, developed and perfected, using our self invented technology of hand wound embroidery' unknown hitherto without needles or machinery

4. Consuming nearly 400 shade and plain natural coloured embroidery threads measuring more than 60 million metres in length for the colour spectrum in order to get natural color combinations, printing or painting has never been entertained.

5. All parts or plant such as flower petals, leaves and stems are fully wound with thread using shaped stiff canvas bases inside for flowers and leaves, and steel or copper wires for stems and handwinding embroidery system.

6. It is the most minute and sensational crafts manship with keen concentration coupled with patience, keeping machineperfection avoiding any overlapping or knots or gaps.

7. In processing, it is possible that if we rotate our fingers holding thread in certain position and speed around the shaped canvas base, a machine like perfection can be brought out.

8. Designs, colours and shades are adapted as far as possible from the nature and are designed making use of different natural coloured embroidery threads. Since machine or needles are not involved, the operations demands long time and intense labour.

9. The garden enjoys the monopoly of the top attraction with its innovative aesthetic creation, since no similar one to compare and to compete.

10. In all respects thread garden can be rated as the highest art creation of manual effort, that ever brought about successfully in the world.

11. Every piece of art creation is an imaginative expression of nature either as it is, or in a permutation of forms, light, shades and patterns. Thread garden is a success story of this formidable challenge making artificial pieces of flora look nature, is the real challenge.

12. As an artistic creation par-excellence challenging the human imagination, it occupies the position of unique and innovative miracle in this era.

13. Now this wonderful discovery “thread garden” showers tremendous surprise and immense pleasure to thousands of tourists from all over world really tourists adore this millennium miracle.

14. Far beyond human imagination we are proud to introduce “THREAD GARDEN” as a world miracle in art creation. Once seen, memory will not willingly let it pale. It has been recommended to the Guinness record.

15. This wonderful “THREAD GARDEN” exclusively designed by the artist namely Mr. Antony Josaph from kerala. He is the first to discover and practice “Hand wound embroidery system” without needles or machinery. We thank you and welcome your valuable suggestions and enquiries.
[sic]

Thanks to these insightful signs our 15 minutes in the Thread Garden taught us that we were indeed seeing more than just some artificial flower and dust.

In other news, I have revoked Suzanne’s Canadian citizenship after she again and again noted that the weather here in Ooty is cold.