A masala called art

Born and brought up in Dubai, Sandhya Vaidyanthan came to the City after marriage. An architect by qualification, she always had a passion for art and craft. Her simple yet striking designs and innovations were loved by her family, friends and her “much-surprised husband”, who then inspired her to launch ‘Masala Popsicles’.

There has been no looking back for the artist since then.
As quirky as the name sounds, ‘Masala Popsicles’ is a refreshing combination of art and colours, handcrafted with much love. It is all about unique, customised and gorgeous knick knacks, gifts, pots, earring stands, photo frames, coin boxes, lamps, bottle art, Ganesha murals, customised paintings and sari paintings and much more.

Sandhya mixes eco-friendly products to bring out the different colours of life.
“I was driven by my love to create unique, personalised craft which can be treasured. I also get immense joy when people love what they have received from me,” says Sandhya.

She adds, “I wanted my products to be rich in colour. You can see these beautiful colours on a ‘golawala’’s cart. That's how the name ‘Masala Popsicles’ came about.”  She goes to the local markets like Chickpet on a regular basis to see what is available and how she can reinvent her creativity. “The USP of ‘Masala Popsicles’ is that no item is the same.

Every piece is unique and has been individually hand-painted and created by me. The earring stand idea came to me after I realised that I had a lot of earrings and no way to organise them. I had a few ‘chai kulhads’ stacked at home. I glued them together, painted them and the stand was ready! It became an instant hit,” says the self-taught artist. 

She works out of a dining table in her house and most of her products are terracotta based. Her art works are themed on Indian motifs and vintage art with a modern touch. However, the name boards are Sandhya’s favourite because of the joy that they bring to her customers.

Social networking sites have helped her showcase her talent and get more visibility. Her products are shipped across the world. An order takes minimum of one week to be delivered while a customised order takes a little longer.