SHED - Maatlu

I fell in love with this one at first sight. Half a lota, its narrow neck fits in the crook between my thumb and index finger perfectly. Finished to a smooth texture, the grain in the teak shine through. It’s as if the maker took the block of wood and played with it for a while to ascertain how best to gouge out the shape so the natural grain of the wood would be best showed off. A secret indent on the round of the cup allows you to securely put the cup down confidently. I’m told the cup will stain with every use. I foresee it getting darker, maybe the surface treatment will wear off and a new patina from holding it will develop along the narrow rim of it. Like a wooden idol, which has been worshipped and had liquids of all types poured over it, I imagine an unctuous glaze of years of use forming on it.

Sukhdev Rathod - Between the Lines

This cup is deceptively thoughtful. The blades add protective distance between the hand and hot beverage. It’s inspired by the sleeves on a Starbucks cup. I learnt recently that the sleeves have a name - zarf. It is a term borrowed from Arabic meaning a chalice like vessel for coffee. Somehow Sukhdev has managed to complete the circle here. While one can hold it one hand, this cup is more comfortably held with two - like a ritual chalice to drink coffee out of.

Kopal Seth - Textile Twist - I

Eggs - Soft scrambled, slightly runny. Guilty dollop of ketchup on a white plate - folded up into a coffee cup. This cup feels like a cubist sculpture of a quick dash morning breakfast.