Vivid expressions in clay

There is always a sense of satisfaction while creating something from scratch, be it with the items in the kitchen, on the computer or using a sowing machine. Many Bangaloreans, of late, have been taking to the potter’s wheel and making pottery a hobby. In fact, there are small pottery workshops and classes for children and adults being conducted in the City. So what is it about clay that it has become a source of attraction for so many people?

Abraham, a professional, spends a good three hours in a pottery class during weekends.

Having taken it up as a hobby for over a year, Abraham says that it was by chance that he got interested in it. “I was just browsing the web one day when I came across this pottery class. I thought I should put my weekends to good use. The first few classes were difficult as I had forgotten what it was like to be creative. Clay really helps one reignite the creative streak. Now, I have become so addicted to this hobby that I have to come here every weekend for at least an hour,” he adds.

For Karishma, pottery making began as a hobby but slowly it transformed into a career option. She compares the process of making a pot to moulding a child. “The way in which you mould the clay on the wheel is just the way you mould a child. It will take the form of the direction through which you shape it,” she adds.

Karishma feels this hobby is getting popular as one gets to really express oneself through clay. Agrees Greeshma, a student, who also took up this hobby recently. “You don’t always find the results impressive or professional. But what comes out of all that hard work really makes you proud of your creation,” she adds. 

Pottery has proved to be very therapeutic as well. Ganesh, who runs a place called ‘Claystation’, states over the three years of its existence, he has seen many people coming over from different backgrounds just to de-stress. “Clay is a medium that really helps you take your mind off things. You become one with it and start communicating with it. There has definitely been an increase in the number of people coming here but the real challenge is that there are very few resources and infrastructure to pursue it on a larger level,” he sums up.