A tree of knowledge for CWG opening event
By IANSTuesday, September 7, 2010
NEW DELHI - ‘Tree of Knowledge’ - a 90-foot-tall artificial tree made of bamboo, with a lot of textile treatment and a rich foliage of chinar and peepal leaves will stand at the centre of the stage during the opening ceremony of the Commonwealth Games.
The tree, symbolising the best of Indian tradition, has been in the making for the past three months with almost 500 artisans and 300 weavers employed. The green prop is sure to grab eyeballs during the opening gala Oct 3.
The tree is the brain child of designer Madhu Jain who collaborated with model-turned-actor Milind Soman, also a state level athlete, eight years back to form Project M - a foundation that works towards promoting art.
The Games organising committee (OC) invited the two to make something unique for the opening ceremony which would highlight weavers of India and promote India’s rich heritage.
“We have done a lot of research on this project. The tree will have the best from Indian tradition,” Jain told IANS in an interview.
“The focal point here is that India has a 2,000-year-old rich tradition and we will be showcasing this to the world. We will never get a platform like this to reinforce brand India to the world,” said Jain.
With a lot of criticism surrounding preparations for the upcoming CWG, Jain says: “Unfortunately, people and the media are only pointing at the things that are not done. There are so many things that are running on schedule, but no one is paying heed to it.
“So many people are rehearsing and performing - there is a lot of hard work which is going behind making CWG a success. One should look at those things and appreciate and write about it as well,” said Jain.
“We, as Indians, have to put our best foot forward as it (Games) is the country’s prestige issue,” she added.
