Fundamentals Redefined

By Pari Syal

Upcoming product designer Srishti Bajaj redefines simple functionality via a product that aims to modulate our moods and pique our desires…

Roti or Chapatti-making is an integral part of traditional Indian cooking.  While the task can be pleasurable and often emotionally fulfilling, it can be equally daunting, especially after a long tired day. The fact that one needs to assemble a few basics to get going viz., dry flour,  rolling board, rolling pin, the kneaded dough and the casserole to store the rotis when done, does make it a trifle bothersome, when it becomes easier to opt for something ready rather than indulge in the task of roti-making.

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Young upcoming product designer Srishti Bajaj from Delhi proposes the solution to this perennial problem that plagues homemakers’ world over. Enthusiastic and fresh with some out-of-box ideas, Srishti has designed a stack of roti-making essentials – all in one single module.With a firm belief that design should elevate human experience and integrate tenets of necessity, significance and joy as the ultimate fulfilling goals, Srishti creates products that have an edge of appearing and sounding playful, while they are functional to the tee.

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Titled the ‘Tattva Stack’, her new product that will soon be marketed by Jindal Steel is a unique space-saving kitchen utensil stack, transforming Chapatti-making into a convenient, happy, glorious experience.

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Using stainless steel and wood, the stack comprises - starting from the bottom up – the SS Kneading Bowl, Wood Belan (rolling Pin), Wood Chakla (rolling base), SS Dry Atta Bowl (wheat flour container), and the SS Lid for the Atta Box – a compact and efficient organization of the elements involved. It is aimed at convenience and time saving – two basic fundamentals of a homemaker’s rule book.

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Opinionating about current domestic and international design trends, the young aspirant strongly supports niche design practices where the context is ‘responsible living’ with flair. There is also a renewed appreciation for the handcrafted boutique creations that are experimental, unique, insightful and long lasting, she affirms.

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“India has always been a land for customization, be it your tailor or the local carpenter who came home and took measurements, but what is missing are designs that translate traditional lifestyles to suit contemporary living without a mindless aping of western  design paradigms,” says Srishti.   

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With the general mass mantra bent towards a willingness to break out of the box and try something new, the key to good design lies in grasping a multiplicity of emerging sensibilities and interpreting them in an informed, sensitive approach that can define our receptivity and excite our senses.