Pottery: Dying art, artists find hard to earn livelihood
Pottery: Dying art, artists find hard to earn livelihood
Bilal Ahmad
Press Trust of Kashmir | Ganderbal : With modernisation, pots are very rarely used and kashmir pottery artists are finding it very hard to earn their livelihood.
As the demand for the mud pots is on a decline, potters fear that their children may have to look for other professions.
While sharing how they make the pottery, potters said that the clay is molded by hand with simple tools made of wood etc
But now this old tradition of making pottery is craving for attention and has started gradually disappearing with the passage of time.
In central Kashmir’s Ganderbal Ab Aziz Kumar wonders what life has in store for him. Many generations of his family have been in the pottery business but as the demand for the mud pots is on a decline, Kumar fears that his children may have to look for other professions.
My father used to sell these pots and in barter get enough grains that would last for a full year. It was a valued profession but now with the introduction of modern type of utensils this great art of pottery has been overshadowed and our new generation is turning to other professions.
He further said that pottery works were a part of daily life and used for several functions in the past. Some of the pots were considered essential for certain ceremonies like henna pots, earthen lamps, tumbaknari, milk pots etc. In Kashmir, some 70-years back in village marriages food was served in mud pots only. Incidentally food served in mud pots is considered to be clean and matka works like a refrigerator, which keeps the water cool. Unfortunately for us, these are not used anymore, Kumar said
Another person associated with the same profession said due to very little demand for these pots it was difficult for them to provide livelihood for their families.
We sell some particular items like heaters, milk pots and tumbaknaries and that too very rarely-my son has switched to fruit business-he doesnot like this job.(PTK).
