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Ethnic cookware from god’s own land
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Revival of enviro-friendly Kumbham pottery which is microwaveable is indeed worth a ‘dekko’
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Photo: P.V. Sivakumar
Lure of terracotta: Pots and pans in earthy red are as tempting and inviting to give them their due. -
Environment is often seen as something that has to do with trees, greenery, rocks, climate, industries and vehicular emissions. Most times, the talk on environment remains focussed on eco-friendly initiatives outside the home and not much effort is made to realise that the thought process can be put back for home too.
Like the products that were brought exclusively from a small village of Kerala and presented to the discerning citizens here. The exhibition of products, mainly the ones that came with environmental friendliness, for the kitchen had certain charm that was hard to by pass.
From mugs, frying pans, ‘tava’, containers to microwave containers, almost all the utensils needed in kitchen and dining area, were on display at the ‘Back to Kitchen’ organised by Kumbham artisans led by K.B.Jinan. And the best part of the whole affair happens to be that they are clay prepared by traditional pottery artisans. And still better happens to be the pricing which remains in most affordable category .
Colour scheme
“I am trying to bring pottery back into present day-to-day life. Each of these pieces is handmade and comes without artificial colours,” says Mr. Jinan. The appealing colour patterns have been created with the help of heating techniques. The small ‘achar’ bowl comes at Rs.35, bigger bowls at Rs.125, plates at Rs.100 and the ‘tavas’ at Rs.200 a piece.
Cutlery stands, curd-setters, cooking utensils and jars are some of the things that one finds hard to resist from taking home. “Since terracottaware can be used in microwave, the focus has been to develop suitable products,” says Mr. Jinan presenting the range. Apart from kitchen, one can browse for cute bird baths, urns, pen stands, paper weights, decorative tiles, framed murals, mirror frames , soap dish, and the list goes on and on.
Kumbham was initiated to revive Indian traditional pottery at Aruvacode, a tiny hamlet near Nilambur in Mallapuram district of Kerala. Since 1993, it attracted some 80-odd potters as affiliates and came to be hailed as a rare instance of a traditional community rehabilitating itself through the very craft they have been alienated from. Pottery happens to be the oldest human technology and Kumbham has been striving to revive its glory. “We are not looking for big profits, but we want to bring pottery back into our lives,” says Mr. Jinan.
T. LALITH SINGH
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