While on a roadtrip through Tamilnadu, taste the flavour of viands served in stoneware utensil

As more people are choosing road trips over air travel due to pandemic, there are many hidden treasures of regional crafts lay alongside the highways in the south.

The craft councils have been making constant efforts such as organizing the workshop and promoting exquisite local products to support the artisans whose livelihoods depend highly on the travel and tourism industry which is impacted severely by the pandemic.

Around 400 km from Chennai, Thoda Goundampalayam is one such village in Namakkal district, where 20 families are involved in the old tradition of soapstone carving till date. At 60, K Kandaswamy has been working on soapstones since the age of 10. His creations include jars, plates, lamps and other utensils which were bought by patrons during the lockdown. He was also sent to the Regional Design and Technology Development Centre in Bengaluru to learn new techniques by the Craft Council of India (CCI), Chennai.

Another sculptor P Thirupathi, 36, works on stoneware utensils. His workspace at Thoda Goundampalayam is encumbered with mortars and pestles, candle holders-cum-urulis and vessels to set curd in, besides the regular paniyaara kuzhi and kalchatti.

As lockdown took a mighty toll on these artisans, CCI has also been organising the sale of their stock ensuring that money is credited directly into their account.

Cover image from Pinterest