Today on the blog we feature, Shakti Ganapati – Solid wood furniture designers and manufacturers in Chennai. Founded in 1995, Shakti Ganapati was led by Deepak Chengappa, Principal Designer / Visionary, along with his wife, Reshma Chengappa. Ever since, Shakti Ganapati has been well reviewed and has carved a niche for itself as an authentic solid wood furniture and design centric furniture label. We talk to Reshma Chengappa about Shakti Ganapati’s showcase at By Hand From The Heart Makers Market this September 2017.
Tell us a bit about yourself
Shakti Ganapati Furniture was started, so that my husband Deepak could live his dream to make great furniture. Wood is the most natural renewable resource we have been provided with, on earth. It dies, decays, and regenerates into many different forms, by the laws of nature. By making good furniture that lasts through the ages, we believe we are giving the timber we work with, an extension of life.
Shakti Ganapati, Solid wood furniture designers and manufacturers Chennai
How did you begin Shakhi Ganapathi and how has it evolved over the years?
In 1995 we started Shakhi Ganapati with one carpenter and one helper. Deepak would meticulously train them to deliver quality, classy products. Over the years we have invested all that we have earned back into the firm, and are now a team of 9 people working towards delivering only the best products for our customers.
Shakti Ganapati, Solid wood furniture designers in Chennai
What is your personal favourite pick from your Shakhi Ganapathi right now? And why?
We love all the pieces that we make, and try to make each piece better than the previous one. Our endeavour is to always give our best to our clients, and we never compromise on work or raw materials at any cost. We hope to make every piece great, and hope you will fall in love with every one of them.
Solid wood furniture designs by Shakti Ganapati,
What are your displaying at the By Hand, From The Heart.
We are displaying a few unique pieces from our collection including a cantilevered desk, a small cutlery cupboard, a recliner, two small day beds, a shoe box, two marina chairs, a coffee table, a set of side tables, and a dinner wagon cupboard.
Why is making so important to you?
We feel that creating a flawless piece of furniture with class, is the most sophisticated way of expressing our gratitude to this magnanimous universe.
Solid wood furniture design house in Chennai
Your favorite work tools.
At Shakti Ganapati, a team of skilled carpenters handcraft furniture the traditional way, using solid wood. The furniture is made without using nails and wooden pegs. Good design and perfect craftsmanship give the furniture elegance, strength and stability. So every tool used in the process is very important to us.
Solid wood furniture – Chennai
What is a typical working day, like.
All through the 25 years, everyday has been different and everyday has been a challenge that we strive to rise up to.
Solid wood furniture design house in Chennai
About the people you work with to create your products.
There are various people from all over Tamil Nadu with skills passed on through the generations, working with us.
Making of this kind of furniture requires concentration, precision, perseverance, time, energy and passion. Our carpenters have a great set of traditional furniture making skills, and with Deepak’s guidance and training, we have been able to issue the sort of quality products we are known for.
Shakti Ganapati – Solid wood furniture design house in Chennai
Any design story you would like to share.
All our furniture designs have their roots in traditional practices, giving them a timeless quality, but our designs are modern and are all original. We take care to make prototypes for our products, which are corrected for comfort, structural stability and visual balance before being offered as a product.
All woods used are tropical hardwoods like teak, padauk, mahogany, wenge and white cedar. Sycamore and beech are used for some of the lighter pieces. No plywood is used in any of the furniture. The furniture is given a deep-penetrating oil finish. The wood is kiln-dried before the furniture is made.
All of the practices at Shakti Ganapati are geared to ensuring that the furniture remains strong and stable for a lifetime.
Shakti Ganapati – Solid wood furniture design house in Chennai
Your design Philosophy.
The below poem would probably be the best way to express Deepak’s philosophy
THE WOODCARVER
Khing, the master carver, made a bell stand
Of precious wood. When it was finished,
All who saw it were astounded. They said it must be
the work of spirits.
The Prince of Lu said to the master carver:
“What is your secret?”
Khing replied: “I am only a workman:
I have no secret. There is only this:
When I began to think about the work you commanded
I guarded my spirit, did not expend it
On trifles, that were not to the point.
I fasted in order to set
My heart at rest.
After three days fasting,
I had forgotten gain and success.
After five days
I had forgotten praise or criticism.
After seven days
I had forgotten my body
With all its limbs.
“By this time all thought of your Highness
And of the court had faded away.
All that might distract me from the work
Had vanished.
I was collected in the single thought
Of the bell stand.
“Then I went to the forest
To see the trees in their own natural state.
When the right tree appeared before my eyes,
The bell stand also appeared in it, clearly, beyond doubt.
All I had to do was to put forth my hand
and begin.
“If I had not met this particular tree
There would have been
No bell stand at all.
“What happened?
My own collected thought
Encountered the hidden potential in the wood;
From this live encounter came the work
Which you ascribe to the spirits.”
– Chuang Tzu
By Hand From The Heart: MAKERS MARKET – 21st Edition
Date: Friday – Saturday, 8th – 9th September, 2017
Time: 10:00 a.m – 8:00 p.m
Venue: Crowne Plaza Chennai Adyar Park
Address: 132, T.T.K Road, Alwarpet, Chennai – 600018, Tamil Nadu. India
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