Date:07/01/2009 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2009/01/07/stories/2009010750230200.htm

Tamil Nadu - Cuddalore

Demand sets the wheel rotating

A.V.Ragunathan

The potters have remained idle for over two months owing to rains

— Photo: C. Venkatachalapathy

SOMEHOW MANAGING: Potters lead a precarious existence due to declining demand for pots in Cuddalore.

CUDDALORE: With Pongal festival hardly a week away, the potter’s wheel that remained idle for over two months owing to rain-induced holiday has started revolving again with full vigour.

The deft hands are manoeuvring the wheel with ease and poise to give shape to pots of various sizes. The raw clay, which gets moulded into the desired shape on the rotating wheel, is later given a fine finish.

Then it gets its cherry red sheen by burnishing it on fire. The new pot is now ready to join the Pongal celebrations. This year the Pongal festival acquires special significance because it heralds the dawn of Tamil New Year too.

The pots are part of the traditional festivities. It is the belief of farmers that the overflowing pots augur well and bring potful of good luck to them and to their families.

This unshaken faith has kindled the fervour among the potters to continue with their trade, regardless of the fluctuating demands. However, the 80-odd families residing at Chinna Kanganakuppam in Cuddalore pot-making is the only source of livelihood.

Though engaged in the trade throughout the year, for not less than three months during monsoon they are rendered jobless because the soil, firewood and labourers are hard to come by.

They should also be wary of the market demand and the people’s choice for other materials.

The potters would have to cart the clay all the way from Ariyalur or from Kandamangalam by paying Rs 3,000 for a load. From every load they could make a total of 1,000 pots of mixed sizes.

According to the potter couple — S.Subramani (57) and S.Panjali (52) — the demand for pots is gradually coming down because of recourse to bronze, copper, stainless steel and the copper-bottom vessels.

Only those having an unswerving belief in tradition do go for mud pots. This change of preference has also cut down the volume of trade for the wholesale dealers like K.Sarathi (45) of Anna Market at Manjakuppam.

He says that five to six years ago there was good demand for mud pots. Nowadays, he could hardly sell 600-700 pots, with a price band of Rs 15 to Rs 60, for the season.

Therefore, to prop up the sales the potters have diversified into other products such as stoves, terracotta figures, pot-sets meant for marriages and so on.