We spent five restful nights at Chandoori Sai, a wonderfully peaceful homestay with Leon, an Australian who built the beautiful compound with the local potters some twenty years ago. Five women and one man from the village work with Leon to care for guests. Leon is incredibly multi-tasking including cooking for us – roast chicken, apple pie, pizza …
Washing happens in the central space around which the cottages are built, so it’s a visible and sociable activity and then dried on the bushes and grass in the garden. I like the fact that the work needed to keep us comfortable is visible at Chandoori Sai.Collective washing in contextThe tamarind tree full of tamarinds – with washingA charming little girl staying with her parents at Chandoori Sai. She was painting pots bought in the village, but wanted to learn how to use my camera, so we spent some time taking photos together.I think I taught her pretty well – she took this of me after some practice. The slight anxiety on my face is because she was holding the heavy camera – she’s only six (well, nearly seven). But she has a future as a photographer, I think?Cow at cow-coming home time (dusk) expecting some foodThe cow finally persuades its owner through persistence that it’s time for a drink – Satya, our guide, is laughing in the background.The local temple which is, at times, a sacred space which only women can enter.Throwing the water on the yard to dampen down the dung, which forms the basis of the space – note the pretty decoration from the morning.
The day we visited the village was the day before market, and fresh pots which had been made during the week were being baked ready for early the next morning.
Collecting water from the wellWetting and mixing the mixture of mud and straw to put on the firing kilnCollecting the mixture for the kilnsCovering up the firing kiln with the wet mixtureFiring kilns with pots ready for market on the right (sorry about light)Each day, we saw this chicken and her two chicks in the same place in the evening performing a de-ticking service for the cattle – the chicks ate the ticks once their mother had picked them off.Public education on the school wall in the village
13 thoughts on “Chandoori Sai and the pottery village”
So enjoyed looking at all your photos of C. Sai – they really give us a glimpse of everyday village life. Can’t wait to get there shortly! Do you have any villages nearby to recommend especially? And it looks so warm (from up here in the Himalayas)! And you look so well, Miriam! Happy Days! Lots of love to you both, and regards to Nikhil, Diana x
Loading...
Glad you enjoyed them – we’re back in the land of signal the airport after struggling for two weeks (be warned)! The village in which Chandoori is located is very small but sweet – and lively. There’s also a temple nearby which is very nice to walk to -you’ll be shown the way. The Monday market – about 5k away – at which they sell the pots made in the village – is very nice. But the other tribal markets and villages we went to were much further away. Advise going to Koraput – about 40 mins – to see Jaganath temple as well, simply because there’s a kind of museum with Jaganath dresses – see if you can go when the weekly tribal market is on (maybe Sunday? Can’t remember because we didn’t get there.) Will catch up with your blog in land of signal! (Lebara works in Maharashtra – hurrah!) XX
Loading...
Definitely going to hang out there. Such a lovely feeling of the place you’ve given.
Loading...
It was lovely – very peaceful and calm
Loading...
Chicken is definitely becoming a theme here. You look relaxed, actually, rather than anxious in that photo. It’s good that you’re having a bit of a rest after all that travel. People must be going through a lot of pots, too, judging by the numbers that are cast. Always great colours!
Griffin, G. (2022) ‘The “Work-Work Balance” in higher education: between over-work, falling short and the pleasures of multiplicity’, Studies in Higher Education
Griffin, G. (2021) ‘Feminizing innovation: challenges in science and technology studies (STS)’, Feminist Encounters 5(2): 24. ISSN: 2468-4414. DOI: https://doi.org/10.20897/femenc/11161.
Loading...
I had the same thought about the pots – how many pots does a household need to replace on a weekly basis? I love the picture the little girl took of M – and agree she’s concealing anxiety well.
Loading...
Miriam your apprentice photographer has caught you beautifully. Must show Sue (step daughter outdoor-firing ceramicist) their firing technique! xx
Loading...
She was a delight to teach! Think she does have an extraordinary capacity to learn from instruction – and a great eye once she had made a few trial runs.
Loading...
Suspect Sue may need a village and large supply of mud and dung…
Loading...
What a gorgeous picture of you. You are a great photographer and teacher of photography. Some lessons please on your return!
Loading...
Thanks Claire – not sure whether it was the teaching or the young photographer – but she certainly learnt quickly! XX
Loading...
Sounds like Leon runs an interesting affirmative action employment policy or is it that washing and cleaning is seen as women’s work and only one man is prepared to do it! On the question of the number of pots – my understanding is that they aren’t fired to as high a temperature as western earthenware and therefore more like to break. I think the term is ‘biscuit-fired’ which gives you an idea of their fragility. Although I’ve had biscuits in my time which were anything but fragile….
Loading...
The women really are the mainstay of the village – their husbands were always described ( by Leon) in slightly dismissive terms. I’m sure you’re right about the pots – they can’t be long lived if so many are required.
So enjoyed looking at all your photos of C. Sai – they really give us a glimpse of everyday village life. Can’t wait to get there shortly! Do you have any villages nearby to recommend especially? And it looks so warm (from up here in the Himalayas)! And you look so well, Miriam! Happy Days! Lots of love to you both, and regards to Nikhil, Diana x
Glad you enjoyed them – we’re back in the land of signal the airport after struggling for two weeks (be warned)! The village in which Chandoori is located is very small but sweet – and lively. There’s also a temple nearby which is very nice to walk to -you’ll be shown the way. The Monday market – about 5k away – at which they sell the pots made in the village – is very nice. But the other tribal markets and villages we went to were much further away. Advise going to Koraput – about 40 mins – to see Jaganath temple as well, simply because there’s a kind of museum with Jaganath dresses – see if you can go when the weekly tribal market is on (maybe Sunday? Can’t remember because we didn’t get there.) Will catch up with your blog in land of signal! (Lebara works in Maharashtra – hurrah!) XX
Definitely going to hang out there. Such a lovely feeling of the place you’ve given.
It was lovely – very peaceful and calm
Chicken is definitely becoming a theme here. You look relaxed, actually, rather than anxious in that photo. It’s good that you’re having a bit of a rest after all that travel. People must be going through a lot of pots, too, judging by the numbers that are cast. Always great colours!
Gxx
Gabriele Griffin
Professor of Gender Research
Director of Graduate Studies
Uppsala University
email: gabriele.griffin@gender.uu.se
Coordinator: Nordic Centre of Excellence ‘Beyond the Gender Paradox’ http://www.gender.uu.se/nordwit (2017-2022)
Extraordinary Professor, Centre for Gender and African Studies, University of the Free State, South Africa
Recent publications
Our new book, Gender Inequalities in Tech-driven Research and Innovation: Living the Contradictionhttps://bristoluniversitypress.co.uk/gender-inequalities-in-tech-driven-research-and-innovation is now out and available Open Access from Bristol University Press. https://policy.bristoluniversitypress.co.uk/women-in-supramolecular-chemistry
Griffin, G. (2022) ‘The “Work-Work Balance” in higher education: between over-work, falling short and the pleasures of multiplicity’, Studies in Higher Education
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/03075079.2021.2020750.
Griffin, G. (2021) ‘Feminizing innovation: challenges in science and technology studies (STS)’, Feminist Encounters 5(2): 24. ISSN: 2468-4414. DOI: https://doi.org/10.20897/femenc/11161.
I had the same thought about the pots – how many pots does a household need to replace on a weekly basis? I love the picture the little girl took of M – and agree she’s concealing anxiety well.
Miriam your apprentice photographer has caught you beautifully. Must show Sue (step daughter outdoor-firing ceramicist) their firing technique! xx
She was a delight to teach! Think she does have an extraordinary capacity to learn from instruction – and a great eye once she had made a few trial runs.
Suspect Sue may need a village and large supply of mud and dung…
What a gorgeous picture of you. You are a great photographer and teacher of photography. Some lessons please on your return!
Thanks Claire – not sure whether it was the teaching or the young photographer – but she certainly learnt quickly! XX
Sounds like Leon runs an interesting affirmative action employment policy or is it that washing and cleaning is seen as women’s work and only one man is prepared to do it! On the question of the number of pots – my understanding is that they aren’t fired to as high a temperature as western earthenware and therefore more like to break. I think the term is ‘biscuit-fired’ which gives you an idea of their fragility. Although I’ve had biscuits in my time which were anything but fragile….
The women really are the mainstay of the village – their husbands were always described ( by Leon) in slightly dismissive terms. I’m sure you’re right about the pots – they can’t be long lived if so many are required.