Sreedevi Padmajam has started a shop ‘Organo Gram’ which sells an endless array of earthen cookware and crockery sets.The earthenware are boughtfrom various parts of the state while machine-made ones are sourced from UP and Gujarat.
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: An earthen revolution is brewing here, it is a return to the olden ways, the earthen, organic way of living. Sreedevi Padmajam takes out a ‘mud soap’ and hands it over. One whiff and one gets soaked in an earthy, dizzyingly heavenly fragrance that can warm the cockles of one’s heart. Encompassing all the goodness of earth, this natural mud soap is just one among the earthy wonders that can charm you at Sreedevi Padmajam’s space ‘Organo Gram’.
An endless array of enticing range of cookwares sourced from different parts of the state that can add an earthy charm to one’s kitchenette vies for attention here. With many households giving the shrug to metal wares owing to its detrimental effects on health, the traditional cookware has emerged as a hot favourite.
Crockery sets, and cutlery of all shapes and sizes one can imagine dots the space. Huge water tumblers, puttu makers, bottles, cutlery sets, trays, a plethora of earthenware dishes line the shop.
When Sreedevi went hunting for the earthenwares years back, little did she know that she would open a shop dedicated to earthenwares. It was a chance happening, Sreedevi tells you. It all started when she shared a few pictures of the earthenware she encountered while tripping to shop the cutlery for her home. “It was then that I realised there is a huge demand for earthen cookware. Queries kept pouring in and I understood that most people prefer earthenware for cooking and it was the lack of choices that played a dampner. Soon I started an online venture whereby the earthenware cutlery was sold,” recalls Sreedevi. And a few months hence, she has started a premium shop in the city solely dedicated to earthenware, which fashions out almost every kitchenware one needs.
“In the olden days, we used these utensils and it was a healthy cooking practice. But with the advent of cooking using metalwares, the lifestyle diseases have also burgeoned. When such a wide choice of cutlery is provided most people will return to the earthenwares. It was the lack of choice that limited them,” says Sreedevi. “The idea is to provide hygienic and organic, environment-friendly cookwares. They are brought to the shop directly from the chulas,” she adds. The articles are handpicked by herself to ensure the quality of the kitchenware. “I have identified a few villages in the state where they are involved in crafting earthenwares. The articles are then sourced from them and they are all handmade. We also have machine made earthenware and they have been sourced from UP and Gujarat,” she adds.
It is not just the health benefits but cooking in earthenwares lends a heady, unforgettable taste to the dishes, she adds. “Cooking in earthenware adds a special taste to the dishes, the flavour of the dishes gets heightened and that is one more reason to make the switch,” says Sreedevi.
It is the seasoning of the dish and the cleaning process that one has to be careful while using clay pots. The dishes are oven friendly too, she adds. With the increase in footfalls to the shop, some out of curiosity, some streaming in to add more wares into their collection, Sreedevi hopes that the dying sector of earthenware making in the state will get the much-needed fillip.
Health Benefits
It is not just the health benefits but cooking in earthenwares lends a heady, unforgettable taste to the dishes, she adds. “Cooking in earthenware adds a special taste to the dishes, the flavour of the dishes gets heightened and that is one more reason to make the switch,” says Sreedevi.