Sondha

The garden shop was conceived in the monsoon of 1990. The heady fragrance rising from the first drops of rain on thirsty soil was the inspiration for its name: Sondha. The initial concept behind Sondha was to give people an idea of how they could easily transform inner and outer spaces with the help of decorative pots and plants. Sondha demonstrated that it was not really necessary to have a garden in the traditional sense in order to create relaxing and pleasing environment friendly ambience that soothes the senses and enables oneself to escape the stressful atmosphere of modern city life.

What began as a pastime for the mother-daughter team of Shukla and Vinita Nath during the latter's summer vacation has today blossomed into a 1000 square foot shop, with a regular clientele within India and abroad. Vinita's love for nature combines well with a natural flair for landscape design, and it provides an ideal ambience to house a nursery with a difference. The large lawns are complimented by cascading waterfalls, rock gardens, a herb patch and a wide range of garden decorations. Almost everything that is needed to transform any place into a natural delight is available under one roof. Naturally crafted outdoor furniture, natural rock waterfalls, pots and plants, outdoor lights, hanging baskets, wind chimes, sundials, weather vanes, etc. are all available at affordable prices. Sondha has played a role in the revival of the traditional Indian craft of pottery and provides a support base to potters and other craftsmen by promoting their wares in India and abroad. Sondha's terracotta creations have attracted attention of overseas buyers, and have been featured in international magazines and catalogues. Some pieces have even had the distinction of being displayed and sold at prestigious venues such as Museum of Natural History at Chicago.

Every season Sondha presents their latest ideas that have evolved from studying the latest trends in garden and home decoration. The summer specialties are cool fountains and soothing waterfalls, the winter sees new designs in barbeque and fire pits. Each year, new collections are showcased during Diwali and Christmas. For the festival season the lanterns and Tulsi containers are popular, while Christmas invokes wreaths made of dry flowers and spices, and reindeers made of bamboo and wood. The inspiration behind them is natural elements!

As Vinita Nath puts it "Most of our clients come to us by word of mouth. Some of the gardens we have landscaped have been featured in the leading dailies of the city. Our business has attracted increasing competition, which can only be healthy, since it creates increasing awareness of a green and a natural environment. However Sondha remains unique as a constant innovation in design, and surveys of the latest trends in the domestic and international markets help us maintain our position as pioneers in our field. Over the years we have participated in many exhibitions such as the Inside-Outside show and the AWA exhibition at the American Embassy."

Other areas where Sondha has ventured include using a wide range of materials such as glass, wrought iron, wood, metal, soapstone and paper mache. A completely new selection of lead-free table ware, bath accessories, picture frames, storage ideas for tapes and CDs, book-ends, wall hooks, rocks, aromatic candles, wind chimes, metal ware and garden lanteens is now available at Sondha. Any outdoor space -a balcony or a patio or a terrace can be converted into an aesthetically pleasing garden space with the right planning. Terrace gardens with a lawn, fruiting trees, flowering climbers, a swing, a wind chime, a barbeque is their forte.

For the enthusiastic home gardener and designer Sondha can provide the right support structure through free consultancy complemented by a wide range of accessories.

Address: 39, Prithviraj Road.

Open from 9:00 am to 7:00 pm during all seasons from Monday to Saturday.

- Jyoti Narang