Category: Asian Network
Date: 31.08.2005
Printable version
This month, the Â鶹ԼÅÄ Asian Network celebrates Plant Cultures - a new project launched by Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, and Culture Online.
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Plant Cultures week takes place from Monday 12 to Friday 16 September.
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The project aims to unveil the real story behind the South Asian plants that have enhanced, flavoured and to some extent defined British life.
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Plant Cultures aims to find out what tea, the curry leaf, henna, indigo, and marigold mean to us.
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From cotton to curry, Britain and Asia have exchanged ideas, people and plants for more than 400 years.
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Now, Kew Gardens and Culture Online bring that shared experience together in an inspiring new project called Plant Cultures - www.plantcultures.org.uk.
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Twenty-five South Asian plants provide the catalyst to bring people and plants together and open up a world of Asian life and culture online.
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Through the internet and an extensive outreach programme, Plant Cultures encourages people to share their personal stories, recipes, images and folklore.
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As part of the project Asian Network will be broadcasting a number of special programmes throughout the week as well as holding a plant display at The Â鶹ԼÅÄ Mailbox in Birmingham.
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The display will show case a number of plants and spices that are associated with the Asian culture, such as banyan, cardamom, cotton, ginger, henna, indigo, mango, rice, sugar cane, tea and appropriate spices.
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Shows particularly taking part in this project will include Sonia Deol and Drive will Nikki Bedi.
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The Sonia Deol show (Mondays-Fridays, 9.00am-noon) will explore how the trade routes around the world have shaped drinking habits and led to shared experiences across the world.
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The programme follows the humble tea leaf from the plantation to its final destination on our supermarket shelves and in our kitchens.
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Also throughout the week the show will look at the importance of plants and spices in religious marriage ceremonies.
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Asians are familiar with the use of coconuts and haldi and henna in marriage ceremonies for decoration but few could tell us why they are used.
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The Asian Network will be speaking to representatives of all the major South Asian faiths about the importance and tradition of plants in their culture.
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The network also sends a reporter to Kew Gardens.
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Drive with Nikki Bedi will look at Asians who are passionate about growing their own vegetables and tending to their house and garden plants.
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There will be special short inserts from keen gardeners across the UK each describing their gardens.
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Nikki will also be looking at how heavily the fashion and textiles industry in this country relies on plants such as cotton and at the importance of perfume and scented oils.
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The Muslim world in particular rarely uses western perfumes because of the alcohol content.
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Perfumes and oils made from natural plant extracts are big business in the Arab world and people are recognising that in the UK.
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Nikki will be exploring the origins of these oils and perfumes and finding out what scents are most popular and why.
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Professor Monique Simmonds, Kew science co-ordinator, said: "We hope that Plant Cultures will be an inspiration for people of all ages, and especially British Asians, to get excited about plants and their place in our lives.
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"We use plants in our everyday life without a second thought.
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"This project recognises just how important they are to our culture - from our daily cuppa, the sugar to go in it, or the ingredients of curry, our favourite national dish - to the place we worship, the colour of our jeans - and for some of us, our hair!"
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Flamboyant chef Keith Floyd, author Vicky Bhogal, and Ayurvedic therapist Bharti Vyas have all supported the initiative by offering their own top tips and personal stories.
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Former Arts Minister Estelle Morris, now in the House of Lords, said: "The internet is a powerful resource
and Plant Cultures, commissioned by Culture Online, shows how technology can be used to bring people together to share their knowledge and personal stories."
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Tune into the Asian Network as it celebrates plant culture week.
