The final day of our three day Puja escape started with a quick stop by a friend's home in Santineketan. She's an actress & teaches drama @ Nandini's school, Calcutta International School. She designed the home from stoop to stoop, starting with the front door which came from their old school before moving into their modern one five years ago.
Our last CSR in Santineketan was by far my favorite! Confetti, a potters workshop, with adjoining outlet & beautiful retail shop closer to town, was created by one of Nandini's friends company which has branches in West Bengal, New Delhi & Pennsylvania, USA!
We were the only guests of the pottery space because of Puja. It was perfect! The manager was there - she lived in a small village close to the site, had started as an artist & moved up through the management; having her share that story alone made the trip worthwhile. The craftsmanship was exquisite. It was clear I was quite enamored with the work so she opened up the silent workshop & gave us the grand tour, including the reception hall they greet dignitaries in, including the US ambassador to India just a few months ago.
Weighing room to mix the clay or porcelain in correct proportions
The potter wheel area reminded me of what Frank Lloyd Wright said of the space he made in Oak Park for his team of architects; he made it the most beautiful room in the house, with windows just at eye level so they could be inspired. The domed ceilings were painted with tribal inspired designs - the effort to paint them done for nothing other than pure inspiration.
It was a large complex with seven potter stations, a dozen rooms of green ware, & three kilns...one that nearly filled the room and was gas fueled and two smaller electric models.
They use a mixture of flour & water in many homes or public buildings to make a temporary rangoli, or welcome symbol, to bless the space with luck & creativity.
The last hallway before leaving the workshop held this sign...you could feel the sentiment even with no workers present.
Reception hall, lit with terra cotta lanterns & a design cut into a second ceiling, just below the first, which light shines through onto the floor. I almost wept, surrounded by such meticulous attention to detail.
The train rolled out of Bolpur, the neighboring city to Santineketan @ 3:00 pm, meaning we had to get to the station by 2, leaving just enough time to swing by the Confetti retails space, on the grounds of an art college. We lunched in the Confetti restaurant. I adore the entire property!
Leading into the showroom
The college, with a pagoda theme & covered almost entirely with clay mosaics.
The interior of the restaurant, lit by terra cotta lanterns again & large expansive windows for natural light. The dome of the showroom & workshop is repeated here. This portion of the restaurant was air conditioned; an adjoining, even larger space, was covered with a tile ceiling but open to the gardens. It would be a perfect spot for tea in the cooler months of December & January.
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