sukoon THE KUTCHI KUMBHAR’S ABODE A PLAYHOUSE GAME
The idea of ‘home’ A sense of belonging
A long time back, a seven year old Javed from Kutch went to Afghanistan with his maternal uncle or mamujaan to stay with his family, learn a thing or two about trade. While everything was passing through just fine, one day he saw a date or Kharekh tree when time stopped around him. He felt a sudden jerk of nostalgia, went ahead, hugged the tree, and started crying out loud. When his uncle asked why he was crying, he replied, ‘Muke muje des wannu aaye (In Kutchi)’, or, I want to back to my ‘des’ / ‘watan’ which literally means country, but here he associates ‘des’ with the region, with his home, with the land of Kutch. The Kharekh trees are spread across the dry-arid area of Kutch, and they sparked a memory for him. This anecdote reveals a lot about how one connects to their land, especially with Kutch being a land that has seen situations leading people to move and migrate. With the constant droughts in the area, the agriculturist communities moved to other areas of the country, having to leave behind their ‘des’ in search of a new livelihood, and often thinking about the attributes of the place in nostalgic memories, often wanting to return back and stay in the sukoon or chaen (precisely, calmness and contentness) of ghar or ‘home’. The earthquake of 2001 shook the entire region in all possible ways, people went through tough times, from fatalities to massive hurts, however, after the disaster, the locals and those who had made the region their ‘home’ only returned back. The connect with the region is a strong sentiment. Even in the pottery cluster of Gundiyali, while people are encouraged to go to towns, cities, and new countries to get exposure to newer areas, they always stay grounded to the ‘maati’ (clay) of Gundiyali and return back.
“The earthy soil of Kutch and Gundiyali is such that it always stays with you, and calls you back here. There is nothing like living here in the contentment of home. The aroma, the clay and homely food, this is what life is about.”
“કછ જી ને ગુંદિયારી જી િમટ્ટી હેડી આયે કી પાછો ભુલાયી અજ ગણે. હેડા જુકો ઘર મેં સુખ આયે, કેતે પન નાય, તો હેડા થી કેતે વનબો ! હેડા જી સુગંધ, મિટ્ટી ને ખાન પણ અજ જીવન આયે..”
Cooking area | Rasodo The cooking area or the rasodo has all the earthernware required to cook and serve. From the Chullah, to the Kunni (that prepares Khichdi), the Maghdi (for chaas or buttermilk), the Chaakdi (for milk) to the Handi (to store), the thaals to serve - along with the Paiyaara to store water.
Living area | Ghar The living area is one that’s largely divided into two sections, one being a common area, and the other being a bed room, which is private. The common area has a Mandhuni to display and keep small pots, flower vases, along with spaces to keep cultural earthernware like the Kosadi, Ghadi, which are used in weddings, Bhabho to store water. The Pachni which is a small platform to arrange plates, and vessels aesthetically. In the bedroom there is the bed(Khaat) along with a few more cultural earthernware pieces and matkas to store water.
Workshop area | Chhapro The workshop is where all the action takes place, with the potter turning the wheel meditatively, and creating pieces, placing them around himself. First, the two pillars can be placed to support the roof structure.Then comes the potter’s wheel, with the small support at the dent at the bottom. Finally, some of the pots, ‘matkas’, ‘birdfeeders’, ‘piggy banks’, ‘bottles’, ‘surahis’ as artefacts that have been made on the wheel can be put together. The chakkis the sieves and churners would also be right in front of the cooking area, in the workshop, since the entire lifestyle is interwined.
Open space | Aangan The open area or the aangan is a hybrid space, which becomes a place for neighbours to meet and talk, for children to play, for animals to breed, for the clay to be mixed, for the trees, for drying out the artefacts, for storing large vessels of grains (Kuthi), and water.
Living area | Ghar
Maatla/Matka, Bhabho Water containters of different shapes and sizes that are placed in the bedroom for access to the resource at night or during the day.
Kosadi, Ghadi Kosadi and Ghadi are two ceremonial earthernware used during weddings. The two are used in a particular ritual where the water from the Masjid/Mandir (Mosque/ Temple) for the bride and the groom to bathe with before the wedding.
Khatlo / Khaat A bed made of wooden stands and fabric interwinings for sleeping.
Pachni
Mandhuni A vertical platform in the living room to showcase small objects, keep pots and plates.
A small platform at the top part of the wall, to arrange plates and utensils in aesthetic forms.
Cooking area | Rasodo
Thaal, vatka Bowls, plates and serving utensils stored on the top platform.
Karalu A utensil kept over the stove to cook vegetables or saag.
Maghdi To store and stir buttermilk or chaai in.
Kunni A utensil to cook khichdi or lentil-rice mix in.
Paiyaaro A small table like space to keep pots, filled with water.
Chaakdo An earthernware utensil to fill, store and pour milk from.
Workshop area | Chhapro
Chinori Bhadak / Surahi A container for water, to pour.
Chakki Grinding for wheat, and millets.
Pillars Pillars for placing the roof.
Visi - Chidiya ghar Money banks, along with bird feeders.
Artefacts Prepared artefacts including matkas, gharo, flower pots, animal figures(for kids to play)
Chakdo The pottery wheel along with a stand below.
Open area | Aangan
Matka / Matla Artefacts for drying and also displaying the products to potential consumers.
Clay processing Specified spaces to refine and mix clay.
Kuthi A large container to store grains, water for longer time periods.
Garo, Mati Large containers to store water (since Kutch has had a history of famines.
Roof / Nariya - Mubiya
The roof / Nariya - Mubiya The roof is a skeletal structure made with wooden planks, on top of which Desi Nariyas or clay modules are placed as fitting halves. skeletal structure made with wooden planks
Each clay module has to be shaved from the back to make it fitting, and it placed in such a way for keeping air passages, while clay interacts with the environment and keeps the house cooler during summers, and warmer during winters, the passages between the modules allow for ventilation and structures for preventing rain water to fall inside the house, providing a passage. The Mubiyas are larger modules that are placed at the middle of the partition in the roof, to solidify the roof built.
The playhouse celebrates the modularity and the dynamicism of the space, while allowing for interactions. It’s interesting how the concept of ‘weekends’ or ‘family time’ have evolved, when ancient professions always had these interwined organically, whether it is the fact that your children become your apprentices, or your living and working space are spatially organized and you don’t work according to set hours, but seasons, occassions, and health.
Co-created by Leena Jain, a communication design strategist with Anwar Kumbhar, a terracotta artisan in collaboration with his family (Alimamdbhai Kumbhar, Aishaben Kumbhar, Sherbano Kumbhar, Ruksanaben Kumbhar and Yasarbhai Kumbhar) and the craft community of Gundiyali, including woodworking artisan, Anwar Luhar, and clay-bajra chulla maker, Abdul Yakub Kumbhar, as an outcome of the Craft CoLaborative Fellowship hosted by Design Innovation and Craft Resource Centre (DICRC), CEPT University in collaboration with Manthan Educational Programme Society supported by the I-STED programme.