Rashmi Rekha Das, OP
The potters of Basantpur look forward to the festival of lights every year to make a small profit which they richly deserve
Around 15 kilometres away from Bhubaneswar is a little hamlet called Basantpur where one witnesses a photogenic landscape of paddy fields, and a cluster of potters practising earthenware. Inhabited by approximately 10 households, the village is native to the traditional potter community, vernacularly known as Kumbhars. It goes without saying that most of the earthen diyas and other clay materials available in the Bhubaneswar and its surrounding markets come from this village. The village witnesses a sudden spurt in the sale of earthen diyas and other decorative showpieces during Diwali. It is the only occasion when they rake in the moolah.
After the end of festive season, the potters here hardly make ends meet. Of late, they have registered a loss in the sale of earthen diyas as the modern way of plastic made Diwali crafts and made in China decorative lights, fancy lamps have flooded the Diwali market. Clay diyas and the traditional handicrafts, in fact, lost their lustre. Sunday POST talks to a few potters about their Diwali excitement and the kind of life they are leading in the absence of government support.
Man should be known for its work, the virtue and ability one puts in its work but this proclamation doesn’t always hold in some scenarios. In a developing country like India which has shown unprecedented growth in almost all major sectors people are still struggling to bridge the gap between the rich and the poor and everyone doesn’t seem to share the piece of cake. One such left out community is that of potters. Those vivid eyes gazing and cautious hands moving relentlessly in synchronization on the wheel as a mass of clay gets transformed to a pot and one who sees it happen sings praise for the mesmerizing skills, these people who are known to be potters, possess. Pottery being an age old prominent handicraft in India, its roots here can be traced back to the earliest times of civilization. It has sustained for eons and is a massive employment creator in both rural and urban areas.
Pottery is an art of making different objects by carefully molding clay. The sheer hard work they put and the skills through which they design pots are magnificent. But their fate seems to be sailing in choppy waters as most of the industries are shut and most of the craftsmen are either unemployed or paid too little. It feels perplexing to see their plight today as they used to be a major revenue generator in the country and as the modernization of the nation began they started losing their sheen. Basantpur potters who used to lead a king size life and were in the service of Brahmins once are leading a miserable life thanks to lackadaisical attitude of the state government.
According to Balaram Muduli (64), the principal and most experienced potter of the community say that potters’ community here came into being around 200 years back. Basantpur was initially inhibited by Brahmins who brought the potters to the village for their service. There was a time when community of potters was ruling the roost in the village. Presently, there are only 10 such families who are struggling to survive.
“Mathia (spherical earthen vessels used to store water), phula dana (flower pots), khumpi (piggy banks) and diyas (lamps) are some of the traditional products people master here on manual potter wheels. The process of production is typically organic comprising of mostly natural ingredients, eventually handmade and shaped with no mechanical excesses. The basic raw material soil is procured in tractors from fields owners. The other raw materials required are red soil for making the distinctive red colour; water to mix large proportions of earth so as to obtain a consistent concoction of pure black soil through kneading of clay. Fire wood, cow dung, bricks, broken pots, and hay/husk are materials used to make natural or traditional kilns for bisque firing earthenware so as to provide this fragile produce, with high durability. A typical potter purchases a tractor full of earth for Rs 1000. This lasts for around 20 days and is moulded into around 400-500 mathias on an average. Red soil is mixed with water to obtain shades of red, russet or auburn – the color that typically distinguishes unglazed pottery all across the world. No synthetics or paints are used at this stage.
“The next step is to meticulously stack the freshly made works into the traditional kiln in which clay works are bisque-fired into the flames for around two- three hours. The longer the duration of firing the richer the colour transmutes into. Overall, a potter’s job is not an easy task. But we feel sorry as our work is not noticed and we are not paid for our task. That apart, what makes me sad that our younger generation show little interest to join the tradition. Diwali and Jagara are some of the festival when we see a boost in business,” said a potter.
“It is the middlemen who make profit. They buy a small diya at 40 paisa from us and sell it in Rs 1. Regarding Diwali, I would say that it’s our tradition to worship in clay diya not in Made in China diyas. Lastly, I would like to urge the government to come up with a cultural haat like Ekamra haat to give a boost to products manufactured by potters,” he added.
Seconding Balaram, his son said: “The potters’ community should have electric kiln so that they can come up with more earthen materials in less time. If government sets up at least three kilns for ten families at Basantpur, we will be obliged.”
Ghadu Muduli said: “We prepare 5-6,000 big diyas every year during Diwali. I have been in the tradition for last 20 years. At a time when things get costlier over the days, price of diyas have not increased. Middlemen buy diyas from us at cheaper price and sell them in double the price. It is really pitiful. We work for 9-10 hours everyday but in return we get nothing compared to our labour. Diwali is the only time when we bring smile on the faces of our family members.”
Hara Muduli is of the opinion that “I loved making different decorative items for home apart from diyas. Due to old age, I have stopped making decorative pieces. Diyas are the only things that I make during Diwali because it is the only festival when we witness a rush of customers and this makes us happy.”