“My inclination is more towards teaching people and its more about my hobby and interest rather than the sale.”

For any history student – like me, the first connection you will probably make when you come across shelves of unglazed earthenware and hand sculpted art pieces are the chapters on the Indus Valley and Harappan civilisations! and then start to think about how ancient the traditional craft of pottery is… what its roots are? how has it evolved over the years? why we don’t come across enough people who practice/teach it?….and how it is the most underrated art form!!

#DidYouKnow taking up pottery has numerous benefits? Other than being a wonderful creative outlet there are dozens of physical and mental advantages from expressing oneself by creating something that requires full concentration and focus on the activity itself. It helps with the sensory development and motor skills for the young and is beneficial to those prone to arthritis in the hands as it promotes joint movement and dexterity. Pottery also works as a super de-stress agent and is often described as being therapeutic and relaxing…….

‘Mitty’ as the name suggests is a pottery shop and is located at the Jewel Shopping Centre in Versova, Andheri West, where they sell handmade pottery items and also conduct workshops for people who are interested in learning this truly meditative art-form. Their primary business is the design and supply of crockery items for Hotels and along with that they run ‘Mitty’ . This shop is full of beautifully hand crafted items – some of which are exclusively made by Mr. Vinod Dubey, the proud owner and some regular yet spectacular items that are in demand.

Their stock holds products ranging from miniature crockery items to clay sculptures, from cutlery to tagine pots wholly used by restaurants, exquisite show pieces, trays, candle holders, aroma oil lamps, cute animal miniatures, ash trays and vases. A mixture of hand blended and wheel made pieces are some of the specialties at the store, each one that is made is unique and can’t be replicated even if one tries!

On asking what are the different clays and processes he likes to work with? Mr. Dubey mentioned stoneware, ceramics, terracotta, urban ware (ball clay + china clay) but prefers stoneware as more experiments can be carried out with it and as far as the process of glazing goes he personally likes raw glazing.
For us the beauty of pottery lies in the distinct colors obtained in glazing through oxides and different ceramic stains which are played with for contrasting effects that one wants and thus, the textures achieved are really commendable.

You don’t just stop and shop when you buy from Mitty, Mr. Dubey makes sure you understand your purchase and all the art processes that go into its making – he certainly has a great passion for teaching and is a believer in the thought that ‘pottery must live on!’.
For thousands of years pottery art has been one of the most beautiful forms of expression. Take the time to learn and explore this medium! At the workshops that are conducted at Mitty, the students (adults and children ) are taught the entire process of pottery making and the basics about how glazing is done. It is most certainly on our bucket list for the next holiday break, hope it makes it onto yours too! 🙂

P.S. This Ganpati season go eco-friendly and buy the pure terracotta made Ganpati idols from Mitty and don’t forget to pre-order –  the demands are rising and it takes a number of days to make something like that on a wheel part by part……..

Brownie Point credits: Palak Sarda and Anjali Amandapaka 🙂