Winds of Change

Punkha comes from pankh (feather); pankhi appears in 2nd-century Ajanta paintings; fans cooled deities and kings.

Pankhas varied from two-inch fans to large ones needing full arm strength. Over time they became cultural goods on trade routes - exotic, stylish, yet regionally distinct.

Rajasthan: appliqué, zardozi, brass temple fans. Gujarat: mirror work, beads, Kutch leather fans. Bengal: sola and Tal Patar Pankha.

Uttar Pradesh Phadh fans use gold and silver zari; Odisha and Bihar have palm and bamboo fans. Tribes embed grass and metal with geometrical patterns.

Technology threatens pankhas; celebrating craft through workshops and exhibitions helps artisans earn sustainably.

Once personal use items became commercial craft. Appreciating culture and stories behind pankhas lets makers demonstrate skill and regain popularity.

Johnsy believes she will die when the last ivy leaf falls; Behrman paints a leaf that saves her; he dies of pneumonia.

Sue cares for Johnsy; Behrman sacrifices himself to paint a masterpiece leaf on the wall during a storm - hope defeats despair.

Earth is a rich palette; seeds are brushstrokes planted true, awaiting spring's vibrant hue.

Gardeners' dreams seep into soil; the poem opens with metaphor of earth as artist's palette and seeds as deliberate strokes.

Blossoms bloom like a painted sight in morning light - shades of green, red and blue; nature's artwork ever new.

Sensory imagery of colour and light presents the garden as living painting crafted by nature and gardener together.

Each plot is a canvas wide where art and life coincide; those who till turn gardens into still-life paintings.

Allegory: garden may symbolise life's growth, seasons, harmony and diversity. Tone is appreciative and joyful.

Comparing painter to gardener, palette to earth, seeds to brushstrokes - creativity blends with natural growth.

Rhyme scheme AABB; alliteration in "Blossoms bloom"; metaphor enriches understanding of gardening as collaborative art.