A display of India's unity in diversity at Games ceremony

Bamboo from Assam, the motif from Kashmir and weavers from Andhra Pradesh have gone into making the 'Tree of Knowledge' — the installation which will be featured in the opening ceremony of the Commonwealth Games 2010. HT reports.

Bamboo from Assam, the motif from Kashmir and weavers from Andhra Pradesh have gone into making the 'Tree of Knowledge' — the installation which will be featured in the opening ceremony of the Commonwealth Games 2010.

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Created by designer Madhu Jain and actor-model Milind Soman as part of Project M, the installation has been inspired by the Chinar tree commonly found in the Kashmir Valley.

A total of 300 weavers, 500 craftsmen and 200 hand embroidery artisans have helped create the 110-ft-high, 40-inches-wide tree. The chinar leaves have been painted using the kalamkari craft technique from Srikalahasti and Tirupati in Andhra Pradesh and further embellished with beads to highlight the leaves. The tree will be part of the opening dance sequence where over 1,000 dancers, including Sonal Mansingh and Raja and Radha Reddy, will perform.

Jain and Soman were invited by the organising committee to create something unique.

"The base of the three is made of bamboo and silk we brought from Assam. The weavers are from Andhra Pradesh and the motif from Kashmir. We have tried to combine the cultural legacy of the whole country and give a face to the unknown artisans of India by showcasing their work at the international level," said Jain.