Mitul Nathabhai Chauhan, a fourth generation potter, applies a coat of paint to terracotta slabs, the size of mobile phones. Beside him is a pile of assorted cups, mugs and saucers, also terracotta. “In our walks around Dharavi, we saw that drinking chai is something of a ritual,” says art historian Amanda Pinatih, co-founder of the Dharavi Design Museum. “We re-imagined the experience of drinking it. People often pour it from their cups into saucers and sip. So, we thought this beak on the saucer would help,” she says, selecting a shallow diya-shaped bowl from the pile.

Kumbharwada potter Mitul Nathabai Chauhan and art historian Amanda Pinatih prepare design-tweaked terracotta chai glasses. Pics/Sayed Sameer Abedi