VISAKHAPATNAM: Two weeks ahead of Deepavali, a sense of loss has enveloped Kummari Veedhi, home to more than 30 families of potters. Every year around the time of the festival of lights, the street would bustle with activity as potters busily made earthen diyas.
They have been known to be the sole suppliers of diyas — or lamps — and flowerpot crackers to the city.
Times have changed. Huge apartments and other buildings have come up at places where potters usually got clay for their tactile craft that kept the pot boiling at their homes.
As the interval between the potters’ wheels coming to life now has increased, nonagenarian Paradesam’s family is worried about how long they could profitably continue the craft. The 92-year-old man’s wheel has been spinning for the past eight decades. The heavy rains that pounded the city have added to their woes. The potters are finding it hard to dry and bake the diyas and pots.
“A truckload of clay costs us Rs 10,000, and an additional Rs 5,000 for transportation. Unlike in the past, pure clay is not available in the city where huge apartments and complexes are being constructed. Although we sell all the products, we are not sure of getting back the invested money. The importance and demand for traditional art have been lost,” Srinivas, Paradesam’s son said.
Paradesam has made nearly 5,000 flowerpot crackers this year. “Not all pieces we make will reach the market. Some of them get damaged while burning or transporting. Continuing the art of pottery brings us happiness despite the lack of space, infrastructure and equipment,” Srinivas added.
He further stated that the cost of diyas this year might range between Rs 100-120 a dozen. The Greater Visakhapatnam Municipal Corporation has recently built a small pottery kiln for potters to bake pots and diyas.
“The art is dying a slow death due to inadequate funds, resources and importance given to it. A few years from now, the world might not find potters like us because the next generation is not pursuing a career in pottery due to the lack of demand. If the art is not promoted, a single piece of diya will soon cost around Rs 500,” Lakshmamma, whose family has been in the business for the past 30 years, said.
“Pottery has to be learnt from a very young age to excel at it. I have an eight-year-old grandson who is interested in pottery. But considering the present situation and lack of demand, we can only let him learn it for the sake of learning the art but not as a profession,” she added.
Lakshmamma further added that the government has been helping potters in remote villages, but not those in the street. “We narrate our stories to people who come here, but nothing helpful has materialised. We are still waiting for the authorities to support us by any means to keep Kummari Veedhi alive,” she told TNIE.
Many potters in the Veedhi have discontinued pottery due to old age, lack of demand and supply, and to pursue careers in other fields. There are many potters like Paradesam who still believe that their art will not be wasted.