Lockdown woes: Deferred fair, empty pots for this 60-year-old potter in Andhra
TIRUPATI: Nagalla Balaramaiah sits in a shed, next to stacks of traditional clay pots. He’s been doing this every day for the past two months, enduring an agonising wait for someone to order his products. But the 60-year-old potter has had no luck so far, thanks to the lockdown. Balaramaiah and his son N Munikrishna, 38, usually earn Rs 50,000-60,000 each summer by selling their pots. They also produce 3,000- 4,000, pots specifically for the Gangamma Jathara, which wholesale vendors buy in bulk for Rs 10 a piece, and sell for Rs 20-25. But now, their family has had to survive on pension from the government and loans from local financiers, as officials postponed the Jathara, which was scheduled for May 12.
“We usually make a profit of Rs 30,000-40,000 during the Gangamma Jathara, but had no such luck this year. We sell the clay pots to vendors in bulk, and they export them to other parts of the district such as Madanapalle, Puttur and even to Chittoor, and make a profit. But this year, we haven’t received any orders so far,” laments N Munikrishna.
Those who make clay pots do good business only in April and May, and perhaps till the end of July, he explains. Balaramaiah receives a pension from the state government and Munikrishna has been running the family by borrowing money from local financiers. It’s not just Balaramaiah and his family who are affected though. About 10 people in the region make and sell clay pots to wholesalers, and all of them have been facing severe hardships due to the lockdown. The number of orders they received this year is hardly 30 per cent of what they got last year. Kummarithopu, in Tirupati town, which is usually crowded every summer, with consumers flocking to buy pots and traditional decorative items, now wears a deserted look.
Between 25 and 30 families are involved in trading decorative clay items and pots in the region, and all of them have been severely affected by the lockdown. But the problem is not confined to Tirupati. This year has been difficult for local clay pot vendors in other parts of Chittoor district as well, and even for people in Nellore district. A local pot vendor in Tirupati said the pottery industry had already been suffering for years due to the increasing popularity of modern water filters, but this year, the pandemic has dealt an unprecedented blow to those in the industry.