The Terra Co. Journal
कहानी
Notes from the workshop floor
Material tests that failed, arguments about petals, and the occasional defence of an ugly object. Written by the people who make the things, which is why it is not always flattering.
Long read · Material
We fired the same lotus at four temperatures to see which one the rain would win against
940°C, 1010°C, 1120°C and one deliberately underfired control. Four months on a terrace in Delhi, through the tail of a monsoon. Only one of them is still on our shelf, and it is not the hardest one.
Recent entries हालिया
What actually happens when you bury seed paper
We put six of our own tags in a pot in the Delhi winter and dug them up every fortnight. Here is the honest timeline, including the one that did nothing at all.
Eleven women, one kiln, and the argument about petals
The lotus petal on the Kamal bandhanwar was redesigned four times, and not one of those revisions came from us.
The bandhanwar was always meant to die
Marigold and mango leaf, hung fresh, gone by the weekend. What we lose when we make the doorway permanent.
Why our whites are never quite white
Unbleached khadi arrives the colour of weak tea. We could bleach it in an afternoon. Here is why we do not.
A short defence of the ugly diya
Machine-perfect clay lamps are cheaper, rounder and completely forgettable. The wobble is the whole point.
What we got wrong in our first year
Three products we discontinued, one supplier we should have left sooner, and the packaging decision we still regret.