doora

Last month, I tagged along with Spandana, founder of TIIPOI and met the most inspiring potter - Venky Anna - at Doora near Mysore.

This is his workspace, where he throws lovely terracotta pots on traditional wooden wheels that are operated by hand. There are two neat fire pits for the smoke firing.

That’s Venky Anna with his family - the young ones love sitting at the wheel too and are getting really good!

Venky Anna's mum makes these matkas. It was mesmerising to see the pot slowly take shape, and be a perfectly symmetrical pot! The mouth of the pot is first thrown on the wheel, and when semi dry, the bottom is first coiled and then paddled into shape.