Ha ! i sit for hours and watch them work. Last time when i went to the potter's colony, there were only two houses left. i was in a state of shock when i couldn't find the first potter. There stood a two storied house where he lived. Now there is only one house left, with two potters,
they share the small place. Its sad. It is no longer a potter's colony. The last house is crumbling.
This is my all time favourite subject. i am posting this for LORENZO who loves pottery. What a joy to watch ! i tried my hand at the same wheel a couple of years ago. You need a lot of practice. Clay splashed all over, i made a mess of myself, did a pretty bad job of it and gave up. But i loved to make my hands dirty.
The gentle touch and the movement of the fingers is sheer poetry in motion. This time i took pictures of both the remaining potters.
Have to go there again in a couple of days to give them pictures and a picture of the potter's grand child. They have no future. Thankfully mud pots are still in use in villages. Only the very poor use them. i am not rich but there is no mud pot in my house. They are not suitable for gas and electric stoves. Food cooked in mud pots using firewood is very tasty. We have lost that taste without our knowledge.
The wheel is manually rotated with a stick and it keeps spinning for three or four minutes at good speed. Then they have to rotate it again. The timing and rhythm is in their heads, their gentle fingers move according to the slowing speed of the wheel. The speed is not constant.
The wheel is not motorised.
Here are a few pieces of Terracotta. They have a good market. Most of the interior designers love them.
86 comments:
I love terracotta myself, there is something about it! moulded of the earth by human hands. These pics are awesome! I've always been captured by the way their hands move, and out of just a lump of mud, the shape emerges, so slowly. and it feels like oh yeah, its done, but they keep working at it, and it becomes more and more beautiful each passing second.
and you know what else I love, drinking water that has been stored in those mud water pots,
esp in summer, the water becomes so cool, and tastes sweet and fresh, and has the smell of the earth. i miss those small things now.
thank you for a perfect post!
rauf where in chennai is this place? do these people require any help?
the pics are tooooooo poignant....they speak....
if they want help do you have their details?
these pieces would sell really well over here, pottery is beautiful and to watch it be made is lovely. hope you are well Rauf x
J'aime beaucoup les photos de mains, et cette série au travail est magnifique ! (I like hands pictures, it's wonderful)
The photos are very beautiful and clear, rauf.
I feel from looking at these hands that I want to be clay. Or I want to have my hands dirty and wet like theirs. You have caught the sensuality with these photos, and I can't stop staring at them.
Don bought a $1000 kiln for $20 that was going to be discarded. Now he needs a wheel. We want to set up a place in the barn for working with clay.
When we lived in Istanbul, we traveled to Cappadocia, and there was a restaurant in a cave where they served a famous Turkish dish called guveç (pronounced guvech) that is baked in a terracotta dish. It is incredibly delicious. We have nothing cooked in terracotta in the US.
Your photos are so clear. I can almost picture the potting wheel spinning and the smell of clay. These potters look very skilled.
I love pottery and have always wanted to take a class to learn how. I'm sure I will never be as good at it as these gentleman.
Mystic Rose, You have a way with words, You weave them into a beautiful tapestry, you mould them into a work of art like these potters do. What you wrote is something i wanted to write but i have no such talent. My expressions are very flat and pretty ordinary.
Yes terracotta is beautiful and thankfully it is very cheap. Unfortunately you cannot carry it to US, it is heavy and fragile. You have to buy what is made locally. Which is good in my opinion as it encourages local artistes.
I grew up drinking mud pot water, ideal for Chennai summer. We used to collect money and buy mud pots for our class. Most important thing is, the mud pot absorbs impurities in water and it absorbs chlorine too.
Vishesh, they are in Royapettah. Everybody needs help.
I gave them some money but couldn't buy the wet pots. Very gentle folks. Not one bit arrogant like people of Chennai.
am fine HER INDOORS, Glad You had a wonderful outing and the weather was good for you to enjoy Chesterfield. Happy girl !
Unfortunately these people can't even afford to travel 100 kilometers, little away from the Chennai city where they can make a better living. They have been living in this potters colony for ages. Now they have no option but to migrate as there is no demand for their pots in the city.
Thank you Marie, i see that you have posted some more gorgeous pictures. Please feel free to Comment in French. Ruth translates them for me. Now she is on a study tour of Ireland with her students.
Ruth, kiln is a good buy, so you'll be busy during summer. Can you do pottery in Winter ? That is the time you need physical and artistic activity besides reading writing and painting. When l'atlier is ready you will have too many things to do. It will need an extension if you take up pottery seriously. Now that a kiln has come Don would be thinking of extending the studio. The potters use a heap of dried grass dry cowdung and sand. It gets very smokey.
The black mask, terracotta bells and close up of hands and the portrait of the potter is taken with 450, couple of long shots, and the last 3 pictures are taken with 28-80
hope you have a good time Ruth, and hope you don't use your umbrella and warm clothes.
Thank you SHARON, i don't have space at home. If you have a little extra space and willing to make it messy, you can do pottery. All you need is a motorised wheel and mud. You can enjoy your life at no cost. Other hobbies are pretty expensive.
Pottery is an ideal excercise for mind control. Everything is in the head Sharon, how you control your fingers and bring different shapes out of mud. the pressure of your finges on the fast rotating mud keeps varying, you'll get it with a little practice. These potters have better mind control as the speed of their wheel is not constant like a motorised wheel. And they do not know what meditation and yoga is. The shape actually comes out of your mind control. give it a try Sharon.
Please say Hi to Mooky give him a pat for me
i love pottery and have tried my hand it too a couple of times, would love to really pursue it as a hobby but as with many other ambitions in life, it has taken a back seat.
needless to say, beautiful pics.
and yes i also love the taste of water from a mud pot, it's been many years since i have tasted it, perhaps i shall buy one soon.
unfortunately we dont get much terracotta here.. there is pottery but it has been glazed and painted, etc..
I knew mud water pots were healthy, but i didnt know they absorb chlorine and other impurities. wow! u make me feel like i want to start making terracotta myself here, so people here can have something so beautiful and simple as well. :)
back when was in high school,we had vocational classes and pottery was one of em and we used to have fun getting our hands dirty,laughing over our failures(its a wonder they are able to hold the wheel,mould the clay and create so many beautiful pieces)..
I enjoy just looking at them work on the wheel.. infact there is a guy at Dakshin chitra who does the same and you can buy the item from him..
infact i think we are like the clay,we get moulded,shaped,bent and wat not... :D
loved the pics rauf..where were they taken?chennai or elsewhere?
Thank you, thank you, thank you Rauf for these fabulous pictures. These are the true potters of the world, those who prepare their own clay and use a wheel without any power but their own. My wheel is electric and I can control the speed whether fast for centring and throwing, or slow for fiddling around with the rim. It would really be difficult to learn how to use one of these wheels.
Are these pots fired? You don't mention kilns. I assume they are fired in a pit with wood.
I do hope these potters manage to keep going. The trouble is that people seem to want 'perfect' pots, all matching, the same height, colour etc. and this is impossible with hand made pots, so they buy mass produced factory made products, made by cheap, almost slave labour from China and other Far Eastern countries.
Love Lorenzo.
Just beautiful and how well you caught in your eyes. Lovely....
Such wonderful pictures. I can almost smell the clay and feel it running through my own hands. I have always wanted to try this. I am sure I would make a terrible mess and wear most of the clay. Purchase a few pieces if you are able to; we had a pottery maker years ago....now just history!
Sorry I am late b'coz I was traveling but that doesn't deter me from visiting your blog. I just love your pictures immensely. Every single detail of it.
I wonder what camera, lens & skill you have to do that.
Where is this place in Chennai ? I would like to visit them when I go there next time.
So magical ...the creativity ...I wonder if I can use one of the photos for my writing
Nasra
YOUR MAJESTY, please let your subjects do it. Aapke' naazuk aur shaahi haaton ko yeh zaib nahi deta. Ghareebon ki rozi roti ka sawaal hai. Doh chaar matke' agar aap apne' mehl le jaayen toh bechaarey aap ko duaayen denge'.
What ambitions your Majesty will have ? aapke' Darbaar mei toh sab kuch rahegaa.
Yes during Hyderabad summer matke' ka paani is ideal. And it adds to the taste too Your Majesty. You feel closer to the earth.
You can get a motorised wheel with a regulator very easily, all you need is a little space. i'll be your distributor your Majesty, if you choose to sell your wares. Aapka naam bhi badalna padega, Princess Chimera se' matke' waali Chimera.
Mystic Rose, you'll have to make sketches first and you have to get cast iron dye made, and you have terracotta with a bit of clay.
With your delicate imagination it will be a big hit.
AAARTI, yes i counted the A's there are three.
Yes its fun getting our hands dirty. That is when the nose gets itchy.
these pictures are taken in Royapettah, very close to where i live. Never heard it is done in Dakshin Chitra too. i have been there once, but there was no one there. Sometimes i see reports of workshops in pottery. lot better than meditation where you get nothing. Here you have something made and a great deal of satisfaction out of things you made. My friend Nirmal's sister Priya used to do it, but now she has a school going little son and doesn't find time.
Thank you LORENZO, i am glad you liked them.
Yes they are burnt. i have not seen any proper kiln. Right from my childhood i used to watch them, they were on my way to my teacher's house whom i loved very much. They still use hay, sand and dry cowdung in a heap and burn them.
the heat is not even. it used to get very smokey. Many people used to avoid the potters colony, but i always took that way, spending some time watching them. Now there is only one house left withtwo potters. i think they take the wet clay pots elsewhere and burn them. now it has become a residential area, other residents would protest
any butning or their emitting smoke.
lots of love Lorenzo.
rauf
Thank you PRIYA.
Its really fascinating to watch them work PAULINE, i watch their fingers caress the fast rotating mud. i have observed that people who have pottery as passion are always very calm and never agressive. They never get angry.
Pottery is like meditaation. You seem to be a very calm person Pauline, Your poetry says so.
Its hard to find this place CUCKOOJi, not many know about this place even exists in Chennai. People who are in the same area are not aware of it. During my school days the whole area was called 'Kumhaar vada' Kumhaar is a potter as you know.
but now no one knows the area by this name. The place is Royapettah. You can locate it if you go to Royapettah post office. they will guide you. i know desi bloggers are afraid to meet other desi bloggers or net friends. I'd be too glad to show you around if you come to Chennai, if you let me.
CUCKOO JI Sorry forgot,
This a Nikon D50, with most of the pictures are taken with a 450mm lens. You don't really need a professional camera. Some of my best pictures are taken with a 2MP Kodak Pocket camera, which is still very dear to me. The only problem i have with that is, there is no option to disable the flash which fires automatically. Actually Cuckooji, you can take better pictures and lot faster with a smaller camera.
dear Nasra, please feel free to use any of my pictures without seeking my permission, i'd be too glad if you find them useful. Thank you Nasra, hope you are feeling fine.
Yes,Rauf.. Keen eye you got there to notice those A's :)
I agree that pottery is like meditation,i think its goes a step further cos the amount of concentration and control one needs is phenomenal and it reflects in their work.. would love to visit this place.. so let me know where it is or maybe you could be my guide.... :)
Hiya AAARTI, Apart from having very keen eye, i am also also very intelligentleman (i am patented) also. i can count upto 10, my father used to count upto 15, my grand father could count till TWENTEE !!. So there is devolution here.
We are going to have a monkey in my family in next two generation who can't count upto one.
Oh yes Aaarti, 4501 0088. Any day early in the mornings, they work only in the mornings, but not all days. Close to my house. Walking distance. 50 Kilometers is walking distance for me.
This looks like it would be very relaxing to do this hobby. Nice photos.
Thank you lv2scpbk, yes just to watch is quite relaxing and to work with clay must be ecstasy. Kindly observe people with pottery as their passion, they are very passive and level headed people. That doesn't mean that the rest bang their heads against the wall. When ever some one says that pottery is his or her hobby please observe them lv2scpbk. Thank you, Welcome to Daylight again.
rauf, I meant to tell you that the finished pieces are very appealing, and your photos of them are perfect. I especially like the last two photos. And that moon/sun duo is sweet, I've never seen that before. The intricacy of Indian designs is quite alluring.
Rauf,
Your pictures are wonderful.I love terracota myself.If you would like to take more pictures of a potter's colony i would recomend Kallikuppam in Ambattur,Chennai,very close to where i live.There are about 8 potter's families and they make lovely pieces of pots,especially during January,before Pongal Festival.What happened to your plans of going to Payanur for your posting about the ring "Pavitrakattu"? By the way the potter in Dakshin Chitra is there only on Wednesdays and Sundays.Why don't you have a posting on Glass Blowing too?
Ruth, i don't know the significance, but they are growing popular in the west too. My friend Jawahar makes Pendants. These Terracottas are sold by the roadside. And they are very cheap.
Landscape architects love them. i'll take pictures of some more terracotta and post them.
Hi SONI, Thanks for the information. Please tell me when you are free or your day off. i never knew about Ambattur. Please take me there. Do they work all days ?
Since you know more about Pavithra rings i thought i'll wait till we plan kerala trip.
I couldn't go to Pyyannur, The bus journey from Coorg to Cannanoor took so long because of very bad road that i had no time.
When we go to Cannanoor we'll visit
'Pavithra katta mothram' people too.
Glass blowing is good idea for pictures, don't know where they do it. Thank you so much Soni
i'll call you today.
Rauf, I enjoyed all these photos and commentary. So interesting and they do beautiful work.
Oh Superb!!!
I just really love this..
I have always wanted to do this!!
You are ab artist yourself sir!!
Thank You SANDY
Thank you ABHISHEK
Yes I remember Mr Bean well!
Toe is getting slowly better and I'm just off to take Badger for a walk before it starts raining again, and then shopping and ... then ... if I have the energy I'll try to do a posting on the film The Simpsons which I saw last night.
Badger has been duly stroked from you and I have taken the liberty of giving a stroke to Scaredy from you too!
Love Lorenzo.
Vibrant photos, as usual!
My mother-in-law made both pottery and ceramics. Her best pieces came in her late 80's, after she lost her sight...
I know that nothing gives me greater satisfaction than when I create with my hands. I wonder if the potters you portray feel the same way, since for them it's not just a hobby but the means to survive...
Whoa.. monkeys, counting..what more runs in your family i wonder... :D
now,that sounds like a good proposition..shall sure give you a tinkle and make a plan..well,i too love walking, but my limit would be 10-15kms... i cant count beyond that too u see, so 50 is i am sure far far away.... dont have that many fingers to count on.... :D
Oh,btw, forgot to mention that the finished pieces are soo beautifooooooool.. i love buying collecting displaying teracotta work, and have quite a few at home..
the sun n moon are amazing, the attn to detail and beauty of it is mind blowing.... :)
Hi Rauf :)
What wonderful pictures of pottery making. I`ve always wanted to try that.
tea
xo
Your pictures enrich my life, thank you. The little explanations you put with the picture help me to learn new things. Thank you so much for the oppourtunity your blog gives me. I think it is so sad that there are only 2 potters left in what was once a thriving colony.
I am glad that the toe is getting better LORENZO. Please be careful. Oh yes Scaredy looks big.
Hope Scaredy and Badger get along well.
Lots of love Lorenzo.
IZZIDEE Pottery at 80s and that too when your mother-in-law was nearly blind, is very precious, must be very inspiring. Did you take any video of it, pictures of her work ??. Please post them in a series Hope you are doing fine in Michigan IZZIDEE.
Hi AAARTI
I have done a great favour to mankind and all kinds Aaarti and i decided not to get married. The monkey genes have started with me.
i thought let the mankind have only evolution and not devolution.
Pleeeese do all the tinkiling, ringing, or ring the St' Paul's Cathedral bell on my head, i am always ready. Let us have a steady sunshine, they don't work on rainy days Aaarti. Farmer prays for rain and potter prays for sunshine. God must be confused. In the comment aboveSONI says there are eight families in Ambattur. Let me check first and I'll take you there too.
the pictures of the finished pieces of Terracotta were taken near Valluvarkottam, just before the Kodambakkam bridge.
hope you are fine and dandy and chirpy Aaarti.
Hi Sweet TEAS, how are you ?
You have lots of space and you can have some terracotta pieces in your lovely garden. Hope you are doing fine TEAS.
oh yes it is sad DJ We had about four to five hundred picture finishing artists in one area. When father or grand father dies, we take some old picture to these artists and tell them to enlarge and work on it. they give a big print. We go and get it framed. The computer has kicked these artists out of existence. We had hundreds of Cinema banner artists too Digital printing has pushed them all to starvation. these artists were so good DJ, that i used to stop and stare at the Cinema billboards (we call them hoardings here) Now that art is dead. i want to do one post on it.
thank you so much DJ
Hello Rauf. Badger loves Scaredy and Scaredy tolerates Badger! If he is in a really good mood he will let Badger chase him around the garden and then will give chase to her! They are delightful to watch especially when Scaredy has had enough of Badger. A well aimed blow from his paw usually ensures him some peace. He loves to sit on my knee while I am typing but tends to have a 'new favourite place' for sleeping. His latest is on a pair of running trainers in our back porch!
Hope you enjoy the Simpsons. I certainly did. Maybe I'll go to see the Harry Potter film this week.
Toe is bad today. I overdid it yesterday! Sob.
Love Lorenzo.
a great post, Rauf. These hands create magic out of something as simple as clay....bless those hands...i am a huge lover of pottery and hope to learn it some day ....:)
Rauf,
This post, like all your other ones, is a wonderful tribute to your country. The people, their lives, their work, their art, and under their skilled hands, the earth...
You recorded our rapidly changing in a very poignant way.
There's also something extremely sensual in wet mud, which combined with talent and craftmanship becomes totally magic to watch.
Rauf, thanks also for your visits to Sydney Daily Snap, your comments are always of a special quality. Your remark about frustrated people and satified people no matter what their wealth or class seems absolutely right to me. I feel blessed to belong to the first category.
Take care.
I should have written
"You recorded our rapidly changing WORLD in a very poignant way."
Rauf
What I find interesting is that many of the finished pottery pieces you show at the end are not wheel-turned (if the term is correct) but molded or sculpted not sure which but anyway, not done with a wheel. If these are the most popular pieces with tourists and home decorators, that leaves even less chance to pots to survive...
PS - I love all the comments about the very special taste of water kept in a pottery jar. Just thinking of plastic bottles makes me wince.
pottery is one of the greatest tredition is Indian history..you plublished very clear and beautiful photographs of the man making..thanks
hahaha ! You seem to have very delightful company LORENZO, i think you'll have to give your toe a complete rest. Hope you get well soon. An affectionate pat on Badger and Scaredy from me
lots of love
rauf
oh yes MOI you get a motorised wheel very easily in the US and this hobby is fast becoming a passion there. Just to watch is so soothing to the mind, and working with clay making different shapes of pots would be very comforting.
Thank you NATHALIE, This is one of the oldest profession, thousands of years old and there is not much change in the methods over the passing years. They seem to live in their own world. Yes the finished pieces of terracotta are not done with wheel. They are made out of clay moulds but equally rewarding. There's a wheel
on my template, which is actually a terracotta tea or coffee coaster made by my friend Priya. They are getting very polular.
Water stored in erathern pot is very tasty in summer but i would not recommend it during the winter.
Love pottery wish I cld have my hands dirty in mud but u do not see an nearhere..am surprised how come such a pretty art has not find any takers..I sreiously think these guys should shift base and instead start taking pottery classes..might be not all of them at a time something like next gen checking out waters in cities and then others following them..Ain't it a good idea..Have seen many such ppl in Kolkata where art is valued a lot..And they make not only pots laods of other good stuff as well as you have shown in pics..
Hi Mr.RAGHU RAM PRASAD, Welcome to Daylight again. Yes most of the archeaological find is pottery. When ever i sit with the potters it looks like the time stood still and i feel that i am living in Indus Valley civilisation
period. Nothing much has changed. Traffic noise and honking of horns sound very strange to me.
Thank you so much for your visit Mr. Prassad.
Oh how beautiful. Being an artist myself I tend to love all artwork. The talent that comes out of a potters hands totally amazes me. The work, the love, and pure joy they put into pottery makes my soul smile. Thank you for sharing this with us. I can see why you can watch them for hours.
Blessings.
Hi SANGITA, buy a matka and store drinking water. Sondhi sondhi mitti ki khushboo aati hai.
We have lost that taste. Have you tasted organic mango Sangita ? The taste took me back to my childhood memories. i was in a state of shock. We seem to have lost the taste of everything. the apples and oranges we get are so tasteless.
Yes there are no takers for mud pots. they don't suit gas stoves. My great aunt is still alive and she insists on cooking in mitti ki haandi and lakdi ka choolha. The aaloo we get now is a bit sweetish, ruins the taste, but the ones she prepared were good old aaloos and the saalan was so so tasty it was out of the world.
Hope you are fine Sangita, please keep yourself warm.
Hi MYSTI, How are you ?
Yes it is indeed a joy just to watch and to make those amazing shapes would be an ecstasy. This passion doesn't cost much. Unlike meditation where you get some peace of mind as people claim, here you get the joy of seeing the things you made and you can get money out of it.
These poor potters are struggling to survive. Technology is pushing them out of existence.
Hope you are doing fine Mysti.
Magnifiques photos ces potiers et poteries !
Send him over here. He'd make his fortune and then some.
I tried that at school once. Made an ashtray. Wasn't meant to be an ashtray but what the hell?
As so often I must once again admire your photos and the information from India - thank you very much.
love the shots you made!!
Well it is wonderful to see the number of people that appreciate these pictures! whew
Thank you PETIT LOUIS , Welcome to Daylight again, You have wonderful pictures in your blog !
hahaha FOUR DINNERS i know what happened, You started making a giant fruit bowl for Buckingham palace and ended up making an ash tray for yer dad.
Its a pleasure ASHI Thank you so much, Please convey my regards to mother.
Thanks for sharing these stunning pictures.. Awesome post Rauf!!
Welcome to Daylight Again ZEEKAT, you have a beautiful photo blog too. Lovely pictures there. Its such a delightful interaction between bloggers of different parts of the world. Along with the pleasure of seeing beautiful pictures i take this as good education as well. Thank you so much ZEEKAT
Oh Pauline Thanks for posting some amazing pictures of butterflies and flowers on your page. Its a sheer delight. i clicked on the pictures and the bigger images are simply stunning.
Hi ALL SMILES i have read Oriah Mountain Dreamer only on the net. Beautiful imagination. Thanks for poosting her. Hope you are doing fine ALL SMILES.
Hi Rauf,
I will definately take you to the potter's colony in Ambattur.Let me know when you are free and in town.And,i would like to add a rather insignificant piece of information.We can cook in a mud pot on a gas stove.I make my sambars,rasams and poriyals in a mud kadai.The concept that mud pots can not be used on a gas stove is because it takes a longer time to heat up when compared to our usual copper bottom vessels.So,eventually a busy home maker would not want to waste her time or fuel.But,mud pots can be used on a gas stove or electric stove.In fact,mud pots retain heat longer than our usual metal ware and can be very safely used in a microwave.Probably,if we could bring about this awareness in the society,mud pots would sell better and the potters may have a better life-style.I know the glass blower living near VGP universal kingdom near thiruvanmyur.He is a very young chap,but highly talented,you can watch him create his piece of art and take pictures too.Also,Santosh Sivaram,the one who makes those lucky ganesahs in Chennai is known to me.So you can have your blog posting on glass blowing too.I would like to know about the tree houses in Kerela,why not have a posting about that too.
Hi SONI, splendid idea, i would love to take pictures of glass blower in action. Never knew it was done in Chennai. You must be counting days. i am leaving for Coorg tomorrow and then again on 14th i am leaving for Cannanore. i am away till 24th. 27th is Onam i guess have to go again. But i'll make myself free in September. i will not move out of Chennai. I'll see you and Jawahar perhaps on 19th. lots of love Soni
I would if I could Rauf send your regards to my mother, but she past away July 1.
splendid photos!!! been off the web world for sometime now.. and i consider this as a beautiful welcome treat! i loved those dirty hands too...
ASHI, Mother was a guiding light, i had always looked forward for her commnets and appreciated her unique approach in my environment series SPEED in which she actively participated.
Her passing away is my loss too Ashi, may her gentle soul rest in peace.
Thank you MATANGS, i am upset that imissed yours and Ashi's comment above.
You captured it well- everyone must experience the sensuous sensation of wet clay squeezing and squishing through the fingers. It's addictive!
Thank you RAW KALE, i tried and gaave up, yes playing with wet clay is very soothing. Same experience with walking barefoot, but i would never advise that to you for longer periods and during winter.
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