A floral treat for a good cause

KOCHI: Eight-year-old Rhea Anna Ajay and nine-year-old Vedha Mariyam Thomas - both students of MA International School in Kothamangalam - have been meeting and greeting visitors in front of Lulu’s Fashion Store since February 14. Answering general questions behind growing a mini garden the girls and their classmates created, this was a unique Valentine’s Day for both of them. The mini garden, in which the plants were potted in reused plastic bottles, was one of the entries by schools in the district, as part of the third edition of Lulu Flower Fest.  

Organised coinciding with Valentine’s Day every year, the flower festival this year focused on innovative ways to recycle and reuse plastic bottles. “The concept was conceived when we were thinking of ways to reuse plastic. We believed this would be the right time to educate children on the need to understand about recycling and reusing. We collected the waste and gave it to the schools. The Lulu group also provided seeds and saplings. We asked them to get as creative as they can with these,” said an organiser. 
Subsequently, 17 schools in the district made an all-out effort at creating a garden stall. Each stall has been set on different levels of the mall. “The reception we got was so huge. What was interesting is that the mini gardens were set up by primary students mostly. Some schools even asked for more bottles,” said the organiser. 

A panel will judge each mini garden on the last day of the festival, which spans four days. The best stall will be awarded a cash prize of C25,000; the second and third prizes are cash prizes worth C15,000 and C10,000. Along with this, over 2 lakh varieties of flowering plants from over 10 nurseries have been put on display on the ground level of the mall. 

Furthermore, there will be a ‘Little Prince and Princess’ competition, on February 16 from 2 pm, for kids aged three to six. 

A photo exhibition, organised by Photomuse Rural Art Gallery, displaying rare plants from the Western Ghats was inaugurated by actor Kottayam Naseer on February 14. The festival also saw the participation of film actors Vijay Babu, Rajisha Vijayan, Arjun Ashokan and others.