Surabhi Singh’s story is that of beautiful, humble beginnings. Her father is a farmer, so growing up in a rural part of the country meant leading a different life altogether, but Surabhi wanted to begin again. Design gave her life a new meaning. Her whimsical little project of ceramics is called Chitti Mitti. She tells us all about it.
The Artist
I am Surabhi, born and brought up in Bijnor in Uttar Pradesh. My father is a farmer and my mother is a teacher. I grew up in a household where my dad was very particular about raising independent strong girls and my mom took care of everything else — finances, household and a healthy lifestyle. She was my first yoga inspiration. I did my schooling from a government school. While my family wanted me pursue engineering, I wanted to study design and fought with all my might to do it. I was able to get into DJAD, Coimbatore and still can’t believe my parents sent me all the way to Coimbatore to study something they didn’t understand. That moment defined who I am. My aspiration was to carve out who I am and not lose my identity.
The Work
Chitti Mitti products are creative yet elegant. Lot of white space sprinkled with different moods. Chitti Mitti is transparent, non-complicated and happy to just be. It is all about weaving fleeting moments together and making them permanent in our ceramics. We wish for a smile every time you hold a Chitti Mitti piece. One of our collections is called Udaan, which celebrates freedom. Everyone, at one point, decides to break through the various cages in their lives and fly. The other is called Barsaat, which was named after the Bangalore rains that are magical. It is to remind you of the joy that rains bring — the fallen flowers, clean pathways and filter coffee.
The Sensibility
I am an emotional, happy person. My design sensibilities reflect many happy moments that a village girl moving to new city, travelling, meeting new people, could have. My hope is that my work helps celebrate little things in life.
Text Hansika Lohani Mehtani
Date 17-09-2021
