By Eric King-
The Prince of Wales has received a birthday present from a group of Indian schoolchildren – bonsai fairy gardens.
Charles spent his 71st birthday in Mumbai, meeting youngsters who sang happy birthday to him, much to his delight. Many of these youngsters were supported in their education by a charitable foundation working in collaboration with his British Asian Trust. The children had been stumped over what to give the future king but came up with the idea of a present featuring the stories of Hindu deity Krishna, told with tiny figures in three bonsai gardens.
Their school has been supported by the Piramal Foundation, a branch of the Piramal Group led by Indian billionaire industrialist Ajay Piramal.
His wife, Dr Swati Piramal, said: “What can you give a prince? What can the kids give him? So they thought of the bonsai gardens.” She said one tiny garden tells the story of Krishna stealing butter, the second depicts the deity being born in a jail and his father escaping with him as a baby, and the last describes his time as a cow herder.
Dr Piramal said: “He really loved it when I showed it to him, because of course in England there’s a culture of fairy gardens, there are gnomes, but this is unique because this is Krishna’s fairy garden.”
In a diverse range of engagements, the Prince Of Wales celebrated the deep cultural connections between the UK and India and looked forward to further bilateral cooperation on issues like sustainability and climate change.
His Royal Highness began his visit by presenting a Commonwealth ‘Points of light’ award to Keralan Jolly Johnson, founder of the Helping Hands Organisation (H20). Under Jolly’s leadership, H20 built a centre for disabled children that runs therapy sessions, vocational training and family counselling. The organisation was also actively involved in dealing with the aftermath of Kerala’s devastating floods in 2018 through their rehabilitation programme.
FORECASTING SYSTEMS
His Royal Highness next visited the Indian Meteorological Department to discuss India’s weather forecasting systems. He was given a tour of the Control Room, showcasing how the Centre operates to forecast, track and respond to cyclones and other potential disasters – including the latest cyclone Bulbul in Bangladesh. His Royal Highness held a bilateral discussion with the President of India Shri Ram Nath Kovind, where they noted their mutual interest in green issues and traditional medicine, as well as the important role of the Commonwealth. The President then gave His Royal Highness a tour of the herbal garden, where the Prince planted a champa tree in his name.
There he heard from Sunita Narain from the Centre for Science and Environment about India’s solutions to air pollution and met with three winners of the Ashden Awards, who demonstrated their innovative technologies. HRH was shown an innovative e-rickshaw charging station designed by SunMobility before being taken for a spin in one of the e-rickshaws by Mariya – one of the female drivers working with Ashden winner SMV Green.
In the afternoon, His Royal Highness visited a Sikh Gurudwara, where he learnt about the significance of the 550th birth anniversary of Guru Nanak where he was welcomed by representatives from across the Sikh community, and was given a tour of the langar kitchens – as well as the opportunity to try his hand at chapati making.
REMEMBRANCE
He closed the day at a Service of Remembrance commemorating the sacrifices of soldiers from India, the UK and across the Commonwealth in World War One and World War Two. Marking the 75th anniversary year of the Battle of Kohima, HRH recited the Kohima Epitaph and laid a wreath of Khadi poppies, made by members of the Royal British Legion in the UK. He visited a number of graves of those who lost their lives in Service, including that of Army Medic Sergeant Henry Bombroff, whose 80 year-old son Bill, was present at the event.