A ceiling of books and poetry spilling from wall-mounted typewriters are not what you’d expect to see in a bar. But then again, Pondicherry’s newest lounge, The Storytellers’ Bar, is unlike any watering hole you’ve seen. Launched last week at The Promenade hotel, owner Dilip Kapur says it is the physical embodiment of a travel guide. “This city has had so many rebels and visionaries, it is exceptionally rich in stories — like the ghost man of Pondy and an eccentric American who lived on a snake-infested island and wanted people to call him Zeus,” he says, elaborating, “When we began this project over two years ago, I took my collaborators Simran Mulchandani (co-founder of Mach One Associates and Blue Frog) and Ayaz Basrai (co-founder of Busride Design Studio) on a tour, telling them tales of the place and its people. The idea came from there.”
Tucked away in the basement, the bar breaks away from stereotypes of testosterone-driven spaces with exposed brick and leather. It has to, when the focus is a Wall of Stories (with memorabilia, props and anecdotes) and a C-shaped bar counter that encourages conversations. “The wall is reminiscent of a little bar in Kathmandu that Ayaz spoke of — where, if you’d climbed the Everest, you’d leave behind a piece of your gear,” says Mulchandani. “The idea is to tell stories of this city, through beautiful art and design, and make it collaborative. So anyone who visits is encouraged to pen their own tales,” he adds.
State of blue
Much of the design considerations came from the site: booths to tackle the long space, pastel shades to offset the underground vibe, and the use of local materials — like Indian Patent Stone (IPS), a cement-based floor treatment commonly used in South India. and Chettinad tiles from its neighbour. “The overarching feeling the city leaves you with is one of elegance, which we thought would be nice to see in a bar,” says Basrai, explaining a lot of the colour has been injected through the materials used. “A stained IPS wall gives a certain desaturation, and lots of blues and grey (like you’d see at the ashram), with some bold pinstriping, add highlight.” Rose gold and brass-finish lights also impart a sense of warmth.
“The décor draws from the stories themselves. We handpicked artefacts from Pondy and Auroville (like a catamaran and archival books), and introduced them as place holders for the much larger mind-space that exists outside. Over time, we hope to bring local legends like Ray Meeker (the man behind Golden Bridge Pottery) and get their stories as part of the permanent décor,” adds the interior designer, whose favourite space is two poured cement seats built into the bar, almost like the Goan balcãos .
The right sound
Along with the menu — craft cocktails and a Franco-Tamil spread curated by the hotel’s executive chef — and the entertainment — a multi-faceted experience that will include jazz evenings and poetry readings to theatre nights — music, of course, is a mainstay. And so sound design has been given a lot of thought, too. “Since it’s a long space, we have speakers by UK brand, Turbosound, at intervals so that people can hear the music at the same level no matter where they are,” explains Kapil Thirwani of Munro Acoustics. “We’ve also done the sound system tuning to a studio’s specifications, so that when a band plays the sound engineer doesn’t have to tweak anything on the fly and ruin the experience.” So don’t wait, pack your weekender bag and head over to hear and share some stories.
