Mud Pots Make Entry into Markets 2 Weeks Ahead of Pongal
With Pongal fast approaching, mud pots have started arriving in markets in enormous numbers to meet the increasing demands during the festival season.
Though the use of mud pots has almost diminished from our day-to-day lives, during festival seasons, especially during the harvest festival of Pongal, mud pots are extensively used to cook the traditional dish ‘pongal’ the traditional way.
This practice has been sustaining the small community of potters and keeping the industry alive and
going. The potter community based in Kosapet has been engaged in the business for several generations. However, of the 20 families from the community, only a few have still stuck to their traditional profession, despite the profession being anything close to rewarding.
Many of the youngsters, perceiving the profession as measly rewarding, have quit the business and have taken up other jobs, which they believed to be more lucrative.
One of the potters, S Ganesh (40), said, “I receive huge orders for mud pots from Palamathi, Tirupati and Chittor.” “This season, I have orders for more than 4,000 pots, but the cost of procuring mud and other overheads such as labour and paint have shot up,”
This elevation in price is making it very difficult for me to meet the customer demands, he further added.While the small pots are sold at `60 a piece, the bigger ones cost `90 a piece. The clay stoves used for cooking are being sold at `80.
N Parameshwari (45), another small-time potter, said, “I hope to lead a decent life by doing this job. I’m really pinning my hopes on making sufficient money during the upcoming festivals.”
Pongal is a festival that falls as the lifeline of many pot-makers, Parameshwari further added.