TREND SETTER

He is the only Bonsai artist and a pioneer landscaping professional in Goa. An MSc Research graduate from Bombay University, his parents wanted him to become a dentist or civil engineer but his love for plants led him to choose botany instead. Daniel Dsouza is a born plant lover having developed a keen interest in them when he was very young. During his post-graduation, he enrolled for research on a plant called Enturium. He relays how his preliminary and secondary education took place in Goa itself but due to lack of scope in the botany stream here, he left and joined Bombay university for his graduation and post-graduation.

GOA'S FAMOUS BONSAI ART FORM ADVOCATE By Rajesh Ghadge

Daniel tells me how he didn't r e a l l y n e e d a n y f o r m a l qualifications because he knew so much about them already. “It was only for the s a k e o f a q u a l i f i c a t i o n certificate, which people demand when you go to work in any field, that I decided to study this field. I had acquired much more knowledge on plants and agriculture before I even got to college. After finishing my post-graduation from Mumbai university, I decided to come down to Goa and start my career in landscaping and gardening. C u r r e n t l y , I w o r k a s a p r o f e s s i o n a l l a n d s c a p e designer where I design gardens and landscape to make homes beautiful on the outside. This is my bread and butter.” Currently, Daniel has a few elite clients from the upperincome groups. “I basically landscape gardens for very h i g h - e n d c l i e n t s ' v i l l a s including Ritu Kumar and Ritu Dalmia, and recently even Yuvraj Singh' s bungalow in Morjim. When your work is good you are led to the stars and I currently have a good celebrity portfolio who have set up their second homes in Goa,” he added. “I am very selective in taking up projects as I work for passion and not for money and those who are looking for classy gardens and work that matches their expectations and taste come to me,” said Daniel. He is also an expert floral designer and does exotic floral arrangements for s o m e s e l e c t f i v e - s t a r properties in Goa. “As an example, I' ve done lobby flower arrangements for the Marriott resort in Goa which was personally appreciated b y t h e C E O o f M a r r i o t t Worldwide,” he added. Besides being a landscape artist and gardener Daniel is also a consultant. “I currently do garden consultancy for the Radisson Blue resort in south Goa and making sure t h a t t h e i r g a r d e n i s maintained to international standards and I also look after a couple of resorts in North Goa. Flower arranging for me is a de-stressor.” C o m i n g b a c k t o t h e challenges faced by him being a pioneer in the landscaping business in Goa Daniel said, “The concept of a landscaper was very new to Goa way back and people would treat me l i k e a n e d u c a t e d m a l i (gardener) but slowly things changed. Those who set up second homes here altered that previous reputation because they seemed to understand the concept of landscaping and gardening. Asagao from where I come from, is now a premium h o t s p o t f o r h i g h - e n d properties with each villa being sold for some Rs15 to 20 crores and landscaping and gardening become a major part of it. Being a landscaper, I don't just concentrate on trees and make pretty gardens but I a l s o l o o k a t t h e e n t i r e ecosystem and based on that decide which trees to grow in that area and how it will help the birds a n d b e e s . I r e a l l y b e l i e v e i n protecting the environment as my first priority.” Daniel is known for his speciality in bonsai art in Goa and is perhaps the only person in Goa who does this Japanese artform in Goa. “Bonsai art was introduced to me by my father when I was a kid. He gifted me my first book on Bonsai Art and from then there was no looking back. Whilst I developed a love for plants and gardens at the age of 4, I was introduced to Bonsai Art when I was 13. Chlorophyll runs into my veins: when I work with plants, I don't feel hungry or thirsty nor is there a need for using the washroom. I am completely in sync with the plants.” Daniel tells me that Bonsai trees require direct sunlight and water on day-to-day basis, but the most important thing that they need is a lot of love and care. “Their care is different to other house plants since it is an art form. There is a lot of shaping, trimming, wiring and reporting required to maintain Bonsai trees. Bonsai is a combination of two words in Japanese: Bon means

shallow container and Sai means tree. In fact, any plant in a shallow container that looks like a mature tree, is called Bonsai. The Bonsai p l a n t h a s t h e f o l l o w i n g characteristics:small leaves, long lives, withstand wiring & p r u n i n g , h a s lots of branches a n d s t r o n g roots and the bottom line is, t h e B o n s a i should look like a t r e e i n a m i n i a t u r e form.” “I have come a c r o s s c a s e s where people buy expensive B o n s a i b u t because they

don 't care for t h e m adequately, the Bonsai die. They n e e d t o b e t r e a t e d w i t h great care, like a child or even money. This is the reason I am very selective while selling Bonsai trees to anyone. I have some Bonsai plants that are more than 20 years old and those plants I do not sell because they are like my babies,” he said, adding that Bonsai come in various sizes starting from less than a foot to as much as five feet tall. Bonsai art is perceived only for high-class people in society since it is very expensive, but he wants to make it available for everyone who loves plants, n o m a t t e r w h a t t h e i r background is. “When I came to know about this, I felt very bad, I did not understand why this art is so expensive. Anyone who loves this art form should have access to it and when I came down to Goa, I decided to give free classes to anyone who could not afford my fees. I made a promise to myself that I will make this art form popular in Goa and teach anybody who wants to learn it.” When I asked Daniel about his future plans, he said that he does not have any and he believes in living in present. “I am a cancer survivor and I'm confidently able to talk about this. Also, I know that I need to take time out for myself so now I work only half a day and the rest of the time I spend with my family and I want to give this message very strongly that whatever profession you are in, please make time for y o u r s e l f a s l i f e i s v e r y unpredictable.” Daniel is currently writing two books. “In these books, I will be documenting all my work from the tropical gardens in India to Bonsai and the second one is based on antique things like furniture, cutlery, crockeries, paintings and rugs. I believe that one should do whatever makes them happy in life and o n e s h o u l d a l s o b e accountable for each day. I believe there ' s a simple philosophy which is to help the needy and do good to others and this good karma will come back to you in your lifetime. I

don 't believe in life after death.”