Post News Network
Badasahi, June 13: Decreasing demand for earthen pots has taken a heavy toll on livelihood of scores of potters living in Badasahi block of Mayurbhanj district.
About 170 families out of 226 living in Markudi village of the block have been engaged in making earthen pots along with agriculture for generations.
In the neighbouring Kendudiha village, there are 130 potter families. They sell their earthen pots in nearby markets at Betanati, Badasahi, Manatri, Baisinga and Dantiamuhan. During festivals, some of them visit markets in West Bengal to sell their products.
Earlier, the potters used to make good amount of money but this is not the case now as the demand for earthen wares has gone down. There is hardly anyone keen to purchase the pots unless there is a customary necessity on specific occasions or festivals, potters of the block said.
“We get no profit from pot making like before. The cost of making ‘bhatighar’ (workshop to burn pots) and fuel has gone up, but not the price of our products which remain unsold for days together,” rued Ugrasen Behera, a potter of Markundi village.
Niranjan Behera of Kendudiha village said the use of pots and other utensils made from aluminum and steel has gone up manifold.
“For this reason, we are losing our traditional occupation. Earthen pot making needs a lot of work like collecting right kind of soil, kneading it to different sizes and making pots by placing the rounded earth on a wheel and eventually burning the raw pots in fire,” he added.
Potters Jagannath Behera and Bharati Behera lamented they do not get right price for their products these days.
Sharat Chandra Behera, a retired teacher in the block, said potter families are leading a miserable life while traditional pot making is at stake. The government should come forward to extend financial help to them to push the traditional occupation.
Several social activists of the area suggested another feasible way for the survival of this traditional occupation.
“The potters should be trained on making decorative earthen items and terracotta items, which can fetch good prices for them in the market. They could benefit from skill enhancement training programme,” Ranjit Kumar Patra, a local social activist, said.
