Bhubaneswar: Terracotta is an Italian term for “baked earth”. The Smart City has witnessed in recent times display of several terracotta products on the pavements meant for interior decoration and domestic utility. People have evinced considerable interest in the ‘‘finished’’ clay products on sale.
According to Bhubaneswar resident Basanti Ojha, “Being a housewife I am very fond of decorating my home. During my childhood my grandmother used to gift me terracotta toys when I was a child. I always insisted on buying the toys for their shine. Now, I own 200 such toys in addition to other handicrafts. Recently, I gifted a terracotta toy to my daughter on her thirteenth birthday.”
An interior designer, Ritwika Singh, claimed she used to get orders from his clients to decorate their homes with terracotta handicrafts like elephants, horses, mannequins and toys. “My husband is an interior designer who has designed a client’s lawn with magical fountain and its water flowed into huge terracotta pots to create an mirage of a pond,” she added.
Sujata Mishra, a student of NIFT, says “My brother, being a terracotta artist himself, has filled my house with toys, pots, pans and cookware made of terracotta clay.”
“The food cooked in it tastes yummy especially when my mother cooks in it. Our lawn is filled with many terracotta artefacts and so is our drawing room which looks like a museum of terracotta,” she adds.
Radharani Behera, a home-maker, says decorating the house is part of her daily routine. “I bought some good terracotta pots and water pitchers (Mathia) for my home. You won’t believe, we use to store rice, cereals and other things in terracotta pots as insects do not come near it. The pitcher is quintessential as it can keep water-borne diseases away in rainy season,” Radharani explains.
According to Mamata Bhuiyan, who works as a teacher in a play school at Unit 8, said, “I gift terracotta products to my friends and relatives on special occasions. It’s affordable and leaves an artistic impression behind.”
Meeta Ojha, a bank clerk, said she recently bought two terracotta mug sets for her home. “My sister-in-law took away one set and the other one is with me. I enjoy sipping my morning coffee from the mug. It connects me to the mother-earth,” Meeta claims.
