Monica Gupta’s label EarthenStyle screams India! Loud, colourful and vibrant, her pots are easily eye-catchers. Beautifully handcrafted, and very very trendy, Gupta’s label is sure to stir a renewed interest in the traditional art of pottery in youngsters. These “happy” clay pots are any connoisseur’s delight!

Here is what Monica has to say. 

Tell us something about yourself and your design venture.

Educated as a software engineer, MCA from Nirma Institute of Management & Technology, employed as a Manager in MNCs in last 10 years.

The creative urge, which was lying dormant in me, resurfaced when I shifted to Bangalore from Faridabad. I left my cushy job and started giving texture, colour and shape to inanimate mud. This was the beginning of ‘Earthenstyle’.

‘Earthenstyle’ produces delicately crafted earthen pots in different shapes, where the exteriors are textured and finished in vibrant colours, so that a unique desirable product for home décor is ready to be marketed.

As our brand logo depicts, we deal with hollow earthen pots, mostly circular in shape. Different layers of colours embrace the pots, to enhance its beauty.

What are the products you are currently offering? Your future plans with regards to your label?

‘Earthenstyle’ product range consists of hand painted terracotta products for home décor which includes vases, pots, masks, hangings and planters. We have recently introduced ‘Kathputlis’ and ‘Blue Pottery’ to add rustic flavour of Rajasthan to our collection, and will continue to add more flavours, as we move forward.

As future plans, we aim to increase our visibility in the market, so that ‘Earthenstyle’ becomes synonyms with decor of homes and work places.

What according to you is the USP of your label? How would you describe your label in one word?

Loud, glossy, vibrant colours which are smoothly blended are Earthenstyle’s  USP. The one word which can describe our label is ‘Attractive’.

Tell us what inspires your designs. When not designing, how do you recharge your creative batteries?

Leisurely walking through, without any tensions, observing nature in all its vividness, inspires me a lot.  

My hands express what my eyes see. For example, observing my 6 year old son, giggling with ‘Angry Birds’ game, inspired me to paint angry birds on hanging pots for his room.

When I am on a break and not designing, I meet people on internet or face to face, to get their opinions on the work I do. This helps me to understand, likes and dislikes of users of my products.

If there is one dream destination (any city, culture, country) which you would like to inspire your designs, which one will it be? 

‘Italy’ the land of Churches & beautiful sculptures, has always been my dream destination to visit and recharge by creative batteries. However, I have been there, while I was doing my regular corporate job, and did not have the chance to explore the beauty around.

Where can we buy your products?

Our products can be bought from our facebook page (www.facebook.com/Earthenstyle) and some e-commerce platforms like craftsvilla.com and mirraw.com.

You will also find us in few Exhibitions & Flea Fairs in Bangalore.

We are also tieing up with few Crafts store, to retail our products, which are coming up soon.

                

Puja Sharma's label #8 Bareli Street offers fun, quirky jewellery that will leave you drooling. She was selected by our team as the winner of the Designer Travelista Contest.  Here is what she has to say.  

       Tell us something about yourself and your design venture. 

After graduating from National Institute of Fashion Technology (NIFT), Bangalore '03, I worked in a garment export house for few years. Working in  this industry, I realized that all they want us to do was cut-copy-paste designs from foreign brands. My creativity was packed and locked for a long long time. I was frustrated despite the salary. I felt I could do much better. As a creative person I wanted my freedom to think, explore, create and have my own design space. Determined, slowly I made my way towards realizing my dream and thats how #8 Bareli Street started 3 years back.

What are the products you are currently offering? Your future plans with regards to your label?  

We started with Fashion jewelry for the young adult and slowly we are doing different Theme based collections for Older woman and girls. We have plans to get into designer accessories like stoles, belts, and hand bags. We would also love to add a small range of garments and home furnishing.

      What according to you is the USP of your label? How would you describe your label in one word? 

USP of our design is that its trendy and innovative. Our choice of material and design gives every collection its unique appeal. We make sure our design collection is spot on with the current trends. Our craftsmanship gives each piece individual touch with extra care given to Finishing and quality. So our designs can be enjoyed by just about everyone. In 2 words we describe our brand as FASHION FORWARD.

      Tell us what inspires your designs. When not designing, how do you recharge your creative batteries? 

Born and brought up in a rich culture of INDIA my design collection has every possible influence from the Soil. One can find bright Colour combinations inspired from rich Art & craft available in every part of our country. In my free time i watch TV channels like NDTV good times, covering all that they feature on travel, food and fashion. I watch Runway fashion shows on FTV. I love to read and browse about art and craft from different parts of World.

If there is one dream destination (any city, culture, country) which you would like to inspire your designs, which one will it be? 

Europe!   

Where can we buy your products?

One can see our design collection on www.8barelistreet.com or www.facebook.com/8.barelistreet (some customers directly buy from facebook)

We are currently selling from online portals  like www.craftsvilla.com www.itshandmade.co.in  www.indiebazaar.com  www.voylla.com  

We also retail from few shops in Bangalore ( Shop:VIVIDITY, Koramangala, Near JNC & VIVIDITY , HSR layout, 27th Main road) and Bhubaneshwar (Shop: NO CODE)

With a plethora of quirky designs, we recently wrapped up our first Designer Travelista Contest. The entries were full on fun and creativity, lots of colours, and ofcourse, done with immense passion. What impressed us most was the way mundane discarded items had been recycled into attractive products. Like Shweta's ingenious jewellery made up of discarded metal zips that made it to the top 15.

Recycled handcrafted tribal jewellery by Shweta Pandey

From Priya Krishnan’s “culture coasters”, to the Guitar & Cupcake pin cushion by Palak Jain that won a Special mention, every entry in the top 15 screamed innovation. The winners were declared in two categories. One was the Audience's choice, and the other was chosen by our team. Winning entries in the first category were Tanushree Nair & Monica Gupta. Our team selected Puja Sharma & Rajeev Aggarwal as the winners.

Cultural Coasters by Priya Krishnan  

Creative Cushions by Palak Jain 

Tanushree Nair of Karaashilp brought an arry of beautiful bags to the table. Both fashionable and functional, her lable was a hit winning with over 300 likes. Styling earth is what Monica Gupta of EarthenStyle loves the most. Her pots have India all over them. Wonderfully bright, vibrant and loud, these pieces of art can spice up any decor. We *heart*!

Puja wooed with her beads! Colourful and bright, her funky pieces add sunshine to every collection. The hand-painted bottles by Rajeev were marvellous. Very artistic, the designs both contemporary and traditional at the same time, these bottles are definite eye-catchers in any living room. 

The Winning Entries 

Check out the TOP 15 shortlisted entries here- http://on.fb.me/129FQ9T

Designer Travelista is an initiative by Travelista India to help talented designers and upcoming cultural and design entrepreneurs showcase their lables. All winners get goodies and are featured by us online and during our festivals happening at prestigious venues in Delhi and London. 

We have our second contest on. So hurry! To send in your designs, click here- http://on.fb.me/15MeCoe

Shops, Sweets and Spices in Old Delhi

‘Exhausting’, ‘stressful’ and ‘crowded’ are just some of the adjectives used by most travellers who visit Old Delhi. Narrow alleys, a booming population, busy shops and a myriad of aromas lingering in the air mean Old Delhi is an exotic assault on the senses.

I visited one of Old Delhi’s oldest and most popular markets, Chandni Chowk (translated as moonlit square), which was designed by the Mughals in the 17th century. Today, the area is a treasure trove of history and is home to some of the most famous remnants of the Mughal Empire. Dilapidated havelis (archaic mansions) of the bygone era, historic shops serving secret recipes of 16th century kings and an eclectic mix of bazaars selling everything from fabric, precious jewellery, spices and perfumes are major specialties of Chandni Chowk.

  

Rickshaws and tuk-tuks are the latest mode of transport in Chandni Chowk and they efficiently wind their way through the congested lanes and choking alleys. In fact, I noticed that the rickshaw drivers had developed a method to make way, and alerted the crowd on the streets with a ‘Hello Madam’, ‘Esqueeze (excuse) me’, ‘Hello Sir’, or ‘Shide (side) please’, which to my surprise worked much better than honking horns or ringing bells!

Chandni Chowk is still a big trading centre of Delhi and an ultimate foodie’s delight. The heritage food and sweet shops of the market are a big hit with students, locals and tourists and serve the best Indian savouries and sweets. For instance, down one dingy lane – characterized by entangled electricity wires, decrepit houses and notorious monkeys – is the world famous ‘Paranthewali Gali’, a street selling paranthas (fried Indian breads stuffed with various fillings), which is home to ancient parantha shops of the 18^th century.

It is quite a task to spot the oldest parantha shop, as there are about 5 shops in this lane all claiming to be the ‘real’ one! But after much research with the locals, I found the original. The variety at the shop is just amazing, offering everything from paranthas stuffed with potatoes, cauliflower, popaddums, bitterguard and even condensed milk. The paranthas tasted heavenly and I only stopped because my stomach couldn’t keep up with my tongue after four paranthas!

I visited another legendary shop, the Ghantewala Confectioners (Ghanta meaning a huge bell), which is the oldest sweet shop in Delhi, established in 1790. The story goes that whenever the royal procession of Mughal king Bahadur Shah Zafar passed the shop, the king’s elephant stopped and refused to move until it was offered sweets from the shop. The elephant wore a huge bell round his neck and continued to ring it until his demands were met.

Today, there are no elephants, canals or royal processions, but Chandni Chowk has passed the test of time and remains a rich source of Indian heritage and history. Its inhabitants are giving in to the temptations of a modern India but its alleys continue to sing tales of India’s cultural and historic past.

This entry was originally written by Travelista's founder Akshuna Bakshi for leading travel website My Destination. 
Originally published in My Destination, http://www.mydestination.com/blog/shops-sweets-and-spices-in-old-delhi/