A whole lotta terracotta at this festival in town
Tastefully ornate flower vases, Buddha sculptures, planters, vessels and hand-painted home decor items — terracotta can liven up any corner of your house. And this festive season, what better than this material to shun plastic decorations and go eco-friendly? The fifth edition of Terrafest, organised by the Delhi Blue Pottery Trust, brings together the finest terracotta artisans from Manipur, Maharashtra, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Haryana, Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Odisha and Tamil Nadu.
The fest provides a platform for the artists to showcase their skills and get the right worth for their earthenware. The festival, however, isn’t just an opportunity to shop. You can interact with terracotta artists and collectors, too, and get to know the craft from up close. “The response has been very positive. In the first year, there were 12 artists. And this time, we have 21,” says Anuradha Ravindranath, trustee, Delhi Blue Pottery Trust.
And while you’re at it, participate in workshops on carving on tiles (by Revati Anand), terracotta jewellery (by Harish Dhawan), coiling in terracotta (by Vibha Budhraja), making Ganesha in five minutes (by Gourav Sampatrao Kaingade) and decorating with slip on terracotta planters (by artist Soni Dave).
With terracotta fighting for survival, it’s important to support artisans, Anuradha feels. “Though there is a big move towards environmentfriendly material, people still prefer the aesthetics of glass, high-fired ceramic and metal utility products. In relation to plastic, it cannot compete as yet, since the production of plastic for any use is on an industrial level, whereas terracotta is produced in small pockets by individual families, and on a very small scale. Also for it to compete at all, the government will have to give a huge push to raise the level of terracotta ware, in its quality and production,” explains Anuradha.