If you have just moved
into Ruby's neighbourhood, you will wonder what
on earth she is up to. Old timers know that she
is down on her knees laying templates on the pavement
outside her home, only to come up with a heavenly
mural.
A great part of her childhood was spent hanging
out at her father's glass manufacturing unit and
generally being what she
terms a 'nuisance' with the workers. Watching raw
material being given shape and form excited her,
and unwittingly
Ruby Jhunjhunwalla was nurturing her creative
instinct. A Science graduate from the city's Fergusson
college, she went to study glass blowing technology
at Alfred University, New York. In the USA she caught
up with Daniel Rhodes, an acclaimed ceramic artist,
whom she had earlier met in Pune. The budding glass
technologist became, in her words, a confirmed potter.
The next two years were spent acquiring knowledge
and honing her skills. Passionate about her new
found interest, her life seemed to center around
the wheel.
Back in India, she trained under well known Indian ceramists
Gurcharan Singhji and Mansimran Singhji of Delhi
Blue Art Pottery. Feeling the raw earth, kneading
it, moulding, shaping, baking, and finally transforming the shapeless mass
into attractive objects excited her a great deal. Being able to shape her ideas gave her aesthetic
spirit the freedom she longed for.
Her
 transition
back to the city wasn't
exactly smooth. Her craft was virtually alien to
Pune. Far removed from the conventional pottery
areas that surrounded Delhi, she
was treading new ground. It was sheer grit and
perseverance that
saw her through the initial hardships and ensuing frustrations. It was not long before her work began to be recognised and appreciated
and soon she was exhibiting her work in cities across
the country.
Suraj, her earthy shop on Bund Garden Road,
is a manifestation of her sustained hard work and
exhibits her range of artefacts
along with those of rural artists and craftsmen.
As one steps into this quaintly charming two-leveled
store, one is instantly struck
by the originality of the articles that are on display.
A variety of specially designed studio pottery adds
just that bit of 'earthiness' to the home or office,
each piece handcrafted and fired in a traditional
Potter's Kiln.
Coming from a business background, her approach
to creativity has always been tinged by pragmatism.
While her initial efforts were inclined towards
studio pottery, her goal was towards  environmental
ceramics. Thus began her earnest endeavour to
translate her dream into a reality and the emergence
of her awesome murals."Working with nature
and its basic element there really are no barriers
other than my own limitations. Using the openness
and vastness of space to ensure harmony between
the mural and its surroundings is the greatest
challenge to my creativity," she says.
The murals she has installed for various organisations
in the city bear testimony to how splendidly she
rose to the challenge. The murals commissioned
by multinationals Alfa Laval and Hoganas for their
complexes at Pune brilliantly reflect the personalities
of the organisations. Perhaps amongst the largest
handmade totally ceramic murals in the country
is the one installed by Ruby at Tetra Pak. The
mural covers 4500 sq feet and spreads over the
entire frontage of the entrance block.
"Art has no rules - just instincts,"
she says. "There is an innate sense of art
lying dormant in each individual;" to which
we can only add that her products sure help in
firing our imagination.
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