With the knowledge less than that of a monkey, I started tinkering with the template. There is something called HTML colour code, I don't know anything about it, nor do I know the language. If I type red I don't get red. I messed it up. Big goofs followed.
Well ! did it all by myself, I refuse to have a teacher. I learn by making mistakes, which I keep repeating. Had a lot of problems. Comments simply disappeared. I could see the name but no comments. I realised that the font colour and the back ground colour is the same, merged with the background.
Any way I am going to fiddle with it some more. Please tell me if you have any problems reading the page.
Just took a walk, I am going all over India but not going anywhere in my city. Nothing happens here. This used to be a potters colony, all but two disappeared. Buildings have come up on all sides.The wheel is mechanical, run by hand. It is not motor driven.
Vinayaka Chaturthi festival is coming this week. Grand celeberations in Bombay, not much in Chennai. Of late our citizens have started copying Bombay style. Now there is a procession, tense situation for the police, as things go out hand sometimes, resulting in communal riots, all new to the city, which was not there about 10 years ago. Most of the idols are mass produced. Some stick to good old ways.
This is not the final product. Some of them are painted. After the pooja and celeberation, they are all immersed in the sea by the end of the day.
This picture below was taken about 30 years ago, same place, when the colony was full of potters. Their survival was guarenteed. The pots they made were suitable for fire wood. Now no body uses fire wood. Their pots are not suitable for gas stoves. Steel vessel boom drove them to starvation. Have to ask Chinna if they are ok for microwaves.
Water stored in mud pots always remained cool, It used to absorb chlorine, We had mud pots in all the classes in our school, Long before coolers came. Now mud pots are used only on special occasions like weddings and funerals.
Blunt Knife
WILDPIC
Oh wow Rauf! this is a treat.I LOVE pottery.My parent's house in cochin can pass for a pottery outlet.lol!I buy them like crazy.Now that i am not home they must have thrown most of it away.My folks think I am mad but I love it.
ReplyDeleteSad to hear only two families are left at the potters' colony.Traditional forms of occupation are all but dying.Tragic really.But what can they do?Got to survive in this industrialized crazy world.Tupperware/Rubbermaid seems to be ruling!
There is a place in Kerala--somewhere in north kerala (Nilamboor I think )where there is unique potters' village(can call it an NGO I guess).Cant remb the name of the place nor the name of the guy who runs it.The idea is to revive the dying profession--if i remb right, the potters are provided with materials, the infrastructure and also the marketing aspect is taken care of (which is the most important).
My friend had gone there and she spent a week or more with them.She found the place very inspiring and even bought a dinner set made out of clay.She works and lives in Madnapilli.Now thats another place where you can find the most amazing stuff made from clay.I am not talking fancy outlets but the local market and the potter's backyard.Anyways everytime I visit her she serves me food in the best earthen ware ever. Totally cool I tell u:)
The template has come out very well Rauf and the last pic in B&W is absolutely beautiful:)
Wow! these photo's are amazing and like e2d said a real treat! i have always wanted to try pottery. Wow! beautiful!
ReplyDeleteWow,Rauf..Great pics!!Amazing..I've seen people doing pottery near my homewtown..But your pics dominated everything..
ReplyDeleteAnd liked the new template of your "Daylight again"..And hey i'm seeing my blog's link here on ur great blog..Thank you..
Fantastic pictures! Congrats
ReplyDeleteBeautiful pics, as usual Rauf.
ReplyDeleteYou could check outthis link which will help with web page colours. Cheers, D
http://www.visibone.com/colorlab/ in case that link doesn't work.
ReplyDeleteloved the topic, Poms ! Pottery always gives me a very funny feel, sorta creative and nice. loved the third pic; now i wana get my hands muddy too :D umm, about the html page, it's nice but i think i need to get used to it. I adapt very slowly to change, maybe it needs some more playing with colours. or maybe you can just keep it the way it is. Silly confused me ! *hugs*
ReplyDeleteumm, testing, testing,
ReplyDeleteweb page colour lab
Sorry Rauf, does the new "comments" section accept HTML?
Aha, yes it does, but very difficult to see that "web page colour lab" is actually a link.
ReplyDeleteErk. Sorry about cluttering up your "comments section". If you click on the words "web page colour lab" in the testing comment, it should take you to a page which displays a palette with all the available colours. Click on a colour, and it gives you a page which displays comlementary colours and how they look against each other.
ReplyDeleteUmm, methink I prefer pottery, at least one can see what one is doing in "real" life. heh.
WOW!!!!
ReplyDeleteHi Rauf!!!!
Look at your redecorated place. You are looking very fancy and snazzy around here, I am so blown away. I couldn't believe it when I came here just now. The photos look incredible and the new decor is really welcoming and beautiful. and you figured out the links function...
well done chap!
I am really imprerssed and very inspired to see you take such a step and keep things fresh and maybe you have renewed excitement about blogging.
Thank you for your wise words about Syriana and how democracy is an eyewash. You made some truth, and a luagh and some wisdom. always so happy to hear your perspective.
Well done with your site, now I must go look around some more!
its a messy layout rauf ... but hey a pot isnt made by typing a prompt. let me say u have come out a clear winner with the pics, its awesome, just the right size for viewing.
ReplyDeletehave u tried the web page designing software ? (forget the name) ... just create it the way u want it, convert to html and bingo ... just post it.
i once saw a house inspired by pot making ... this chap just made a huge dome shaped house with clay and then set the whole house on fire !!! ... then started to live in it ... cool huh ?
e2dees, in my school days it was an obsession. Playing with clay in early childhood then a potter's assistant. I would go to the potters colony on my way back from school every day. I was friendly with one old potter. Lots of huts there, and the area was always covered in smoke from fire for drying out the pots. There is a big low cost housing apartment building standing in its place now. If you want to become a potter why are you going to school then ? he asked. I forgot to ask where they are drying their pots now as I did not see any fire around, huge stacks of hay with fire underneath. I used to carry the small wet pots to the fireplace. The old man allowed me to play with the wheel which was very fascinating. No aprons, mom used to scream at me for making my clothes dirty. When you turn the wheel full speed and if the clay is too soft it hits you back on your face and your clothes. I loved it.
ReplyDeleteBeen to Nilambur many times e2dees, You should take Shornur-Nilambur train journey. One of the most beautiful train journeys of India, I have pictures I'll post them in a couple of weeks, beautiful and romantic railway stations on the way. Went with Nirmal last year. I'll look for the potters village next time I go there.
ReplyDeleteThank you Kathy, Its a low cost hobby, you can try it if you have space at home. Do you remember Molly ? Demi Moore in the movie 'Ghost' with Patrick swayze Whoopie Goldberg ? Where did she get the name goldberg from ?
ReplyDeleteGlad you like the template Gangadhar, some more tinkering to be done. Except for Hyderabad Guntur and Vijayawada I have not been to any other place in Andhra I always wanted to stop at Vizag on my way to Calcutta.
ReplyDeleteThank you Bart. I have posted pictures of other places, thought I should post pictures of my own city which I have been ignoring. I'll post some more pictures soon.
ReplyDeleteWent to the site Davo, thanks so much for the link. Got into trouble last night when the blogger refused to save the settings. It was like half saved, the blog became messy. they have given 'clear edits' option for dimwits like me. that came to my rescue many times.
ReplyDeleteummmmmma reee my sweet booey !
ReplyDeleteI wanted to become a potter in my childhood. No space at home to try it. Not much creativity but it was a good toy to play in my childhood, some where around 6th or 7th class. We came to this house and I occcupied my present room at the end of my 7th class. After coming here I stopped visiting my potter friend. My school was in Triplicane. The potters colony was called 'Kumharvaada' in Urdu. It was no longer on my way to school.
ummmas and hugs ree booey !
You are not cluttering my page Davo It is always fun to have you on board. I like it. Saw the site it is very useful, no confusion. Its a terrific guide.
ReplyDeleteThank you Candy. this gives me a renewed interest, I'll keep changing when I get bored to keep my interest alive. I have been living in this room for 48 years now, never got bored with living in the same place for such a long time. I keep changing the interiors, just shifting things from one place to the other. My room has become my soul mate, cats love it, my cat ginger is missing Candy, been worried and depressed. I thought lets do something about the template and I jumped in to the unknown territory. Once I got a hang of it adding links was easy, as I simply copied the designer's link repeatedly pasted and changed the names. The original design of the template is completely lost. Now I can call it mine. But they have requested not to delete the link and the credits of the designers, I have left it untouched.
ReplyDeleteIdle mind is a devil's play ground so they say Suresh. I have to tinker with the template some more and take care of some rough edges and the page takes a while to load. I have reduced the size and number of pictures to compensate that. Now these pictures are uploaded in photobucket and I just post the link. Posting has become lot easier now.
ReplyDeleteWow. i have been away from your blog only a few days and whoa... total renovation! The header banner picture shows a mega display of power... very nice. The template looks good. I love the gradient from red to black. The pictures are bigger and clearer... i like it. Good work rauf.
ReplyDeleteI never got a chance to get my hands muddy, now that i see your pictures, i would love to. Very nicely captured.
Clay of San Diego is good I hear Aamir, then there is adobe,
ReplyDeleteWhat do you find in achealogical expeditions ? bones and clay pots
clay tablets, Its an ancient art.
Simple. I love going back in time thousands of years. With my Camera and I'll borrow sweet boo's lapeetopee. I'll take pictures of Mohanjadaro and Harappa people. I can't go to eupratus and tigris as i don't have a passport. Mohanjadaro and harappa sites are in pakistan now need a passport to go there. But i can manage. they are indians afterall, I'll find the border guards sleeping and sneak in. Perhaps I may not come back to 2006. i would be a king with a camera and a lapeetopee.
Are you worried about my mental health Aamir ?
what a great "reportage"!
ReplyDeleteNadine, my "co-fotograf" in our site is also a great ceramist.
Your pictures are beautifull but also instructives. Thank.
Thank you Ricardo,
ReplyDeleteAs a profession pottery is going down hill. Terracotta is still popular, lot of people are taking pottery as a hobby.
Beautiful pictures and they tell such a story! I love the one where almost all you can see are the potter's hands on the wheel. Thanks for visiting my blog and for the wonderful things you said. And, no, I surely was not offended in any way. Come back anytime.
ReplyDeleteRauf, I've tried posting comments several times, but blogger's not cooperating. I am impressed with your new look and LOVE how big your photos are. I want to learn that, but I get too impatient with the process. I have dialup at home, and it would be impossible. Then at work with high speed, no time. Good luck as you keep finessing it! It was well worth your efforts in my opinion.
ReplyDeleteThank you Cindy, They are a vanishing tribe. I have to go to the villages to find some potters.
ReplyDeleteThey have almost disappeared from the cities. Since it is hard to make a decent living out of pottery their children take up different labour work. Their standard of living has not improved. They were poor 30 years ago and they are poor now.
Ruth,
ReplyDeleteI had problems too, last night blogger was not behaving, it refused to save the changes I made. As a result the page was not loading. Did some more tinkering this morning.
It will be a great pleasure to tell you what I did with the template skipping all the goofs. I'll mail you the details step by step.
Fantastic pics! Such a shame the potters have nearly all gone. I know in this mass production age quantity is all but there are so many beautiful skills leaving us for ever.
ReplyDeleteIts funny Rauf because i did think of dimi moore in Ghost movie. I enjoyed that movie! where did whoopie get here Goldberg last name? i dunno where? tell me please? :)
ReplyDeleteHer* sorry for the mistype
ReplyDeleteI have np space in my home...had to give up some art because i have no room! tiny tiny space we have. I could do it up on my roof...but nieghbors might wonder? I'm afraid of hieghts
ReplyDeleteThank you FOUR DINNERS
ReplyDeleteIndia produces more movies than Hollywood, we can boast about quantity but not quality. there were thousands of cinema banner artists who used to paint huge cinema bill boards. they all are out of business, driven to starvation by technology. Huge digital print billboards have taken over.
Don't know where whoopie got that name from Kathy. I was afraid of heights too but fought and got over it myself. Psychiatry is not a popular profession here in India. People prefer going to faith healers or live with problems.
ReplyDeleteWhoopie cusion ? LOL Kathy !Funny She's a funny lady loved her in ghost and jumping jack flash
ReplyDeleteSome of your best yet! Really loved this series. So close up and full of feeling. Creativity in motion.
ReplyDeleteThank you Don, Lot of activity early in the morning for them. They seem to have hopes.
ReplyDeleteI haven't had any problems so far in viewing your sites. Everything looks great.
ReplyDeleteRauf, I loved seeing these! Making pottery has always looked like so much fun & I liked reading your above comments about you as a boy getting all messy. :) I wish there were a ceramics class at the college I'm going to, but there isn't, since it's a small junior college(only going there 2 years, then I go to another larger college about 30 minutes away where they have lots more class options). I am taking all required courses(meaning no real fun stuff for now, like photography, jewelry making, drawing, painting, etc.). But, at least I'll get the stupid math, english, history, government, etc. classes out of the way now and do what I want later on.
I told my mom about the bird nest photos you took and hopefully I can remember to show her later today.
Thanks for the nice reply comment on your previous post. I will try my best not to spend too much time on my website & visiting people if it gets in the way of my school work. I really want to do well in school!
Here is my new website:
http://www.greenteaobsession.com/
Hope you enjoy it!
Excellent new style! Perfect. I should try it sometime.
ReplyDeleteI come from a village of potters in the Philippines. The factories are still around and thriving. In fact many of the factory owners have become multi-millionaires, exporting their products to different parts of the world. These pictures reminds me of my childhood when I often watched potters display their skills. I know it's fun but it can be real hard work.
My mother once told us Marlon Brando showed up one time to buy some pots he needed as props for a film he was making in the Philippines.
Came back just now Patty, my friends invited me for dinner, Nirmal and Sindu, you must have seen their wedding pictures I posted a couple of months back.
ReplyDeleteYour web site looks beautiful Patty, very simple and elegant. Its a joy. Hope this bears fruits of your labour and imagination. I wish you all the success and glory all through your life.
Mother earth is giving so much imemine, whether you grow food or make pots, build houses. Every thing comes from the four elements
ReplyDelete(chemistry tells us that they are not elements after all) But they form the basics. They go wild sometimes to teach us some lessons.
And as usual we refuse to learn.