Let the light spread

As people gear up to celebrate Deepavali, the festival of lights, the wheels spin non-stop at potters’ colonies in Kothali village in Chikkodi taluk and Garlagunji village in Khanapur taluk. These two villages of Belagavi district that have carved a name for themselves in the art of pottery making, still continue the family tradition. Lakhs of earthen lamps (diyas) modelled here add a unique charm to thousands of houses in Karnataka and Maharashtra during the festive seasons of Mahanavami, Deepavali and Sankranthi.

Bright creations

Kothali is known as the diya-making village of Belagavi district. Of the 25 potter families who live in the village, 10 make diyas all round the year. Twenty-two acres of land, which is inherited by the potters, is marked exclusively to source red clay and black clay, used in the making of diyas.

 Once the clay is sourced, red and black types are mixed in the proportion of 2:1 and made into lumps. Potters model these lumps into light-giving lamps with the help of the potter’s wheel. Of late, the manual potter’s wheel has been replaced by the electric one. The process needs two persons, one on the wheel and the other to arrange the final product. About 100 lamps can be modelled in one hour and they make around 20,000 lamps in a month. There are four kilns in the village. Every family uses the kiln, to bake diyas, in turns. 

 Both men and women get involved in the process of making diyas. While men prepare the clay lump and model the diyas on the wheel, women give the finishing touches and sun-dry them. The entire process, from collecting clay to drying  diyas, spans over a period of four days. Potters in the village make diyas in two designs. Sawdust is mixed with clay to get the shine and plasticity. One thousand lamps are sold at Rs 1,300. On normal days, they earn around Rs 10,000 per month after deducting the material cost and transportation expense.

Though they make lamps throughout the year, the pace of  work increases during Deepavali. They prepare over 30,000 lamps in a month during this period. This is also the time for them to earn more than what they normally do. But the entry of machine-made designer diyas into the market has cast a shadow on the sales of traditional diyas.

Suresh Kumbara, a potter in Kothali says, “We feel that a certain type of chemical is mixed with terracotta, which is then mechanically moulded into different designs. Though the preferences are changing and people are getting attracted towards the  brighter ones, those who celebrate the festival in a traditional and environment-friendly way prefer clay diyas.” Vinayaka Gunjikar, a wholesale dealer of earthen pots and decorative items, adds to Suresh’s observation. “We sell over 40 designs of terracotta lamps in our shop. Since these lamps are made using hydraulic moulds, the production cost is less and naturally they are available at a cheaper price than the earthen ones. The colours are bright and designs are attractive. All these add to the increase in the demand for these synthetic lamps that enter the market from Gujarat and Kolkata. In spite of this, there is a constant demand for the three traditional designs that are modelled in the region,” he says.

Natural, beautiful

Garlagunji village has a slightly different tale to tell. Potters here model the clay into vessels and other decorative designs along with diyas. Mahadeva Kumbara, an enterprising potter in the village, has experimented with designer diyas and successfully modelled and marketed five designs. Along with the traditional diya, he creates diyas in designs such as fish, peacock, elephant and Ganesha. “Ganesha and elephant lamps are sold at Rs 30 and Rs 25 respectively, while peacock and fish diyas fetch a price of Rs 20 per piece. There is a good demand for these lamps in Mumbai and Pune markets.

 I get a profit of Rs 15,000 per month during Deepavali,” explains Mahadeva. A six-month pottery workshop organised by Canara Bank helped him explore the different possibilities of pottery as an art and handicraft and understand the economics of the profession. Now he has set up a workshop in Khanapur town and is happy with the progress.

The Central Village Pottery Institute (CVPI) based in Khanapur, which is dedicated to research and training in pottery technology, has been of support to the potters of the region. “We train potters to design seven types of diyas. We train them to improve the skills of cutting and carving that are essential to produce diyas. We also help them explore the possibilities of enhancing the value of diyas through post-production activities like painting. We don’t provide market linkage as we think that expanding the market is not a tough task if the quality of the product is good,” opines R R Prajapathi, principal, CVPI.

Shadow under the lamp

But, the creators of diyas are still struggling to come out of darkness. The artistic pieces that are produced after days of dedicated work do not a fetch good price at the market.

Poor infrastructure like the unavailability of drying yards and fuel-efficient kilns, adds to their agony. Above all, the demand for diyas switches frequently. All these have made the younger generation head away from the family tradition. Some of them have migrated to cities, while some-others do part-time jobs along with pottery.

“If the government lends support to develop the necessary infrastructure, that would solve many problems,” says Prakash Kumbara, a potter. On the other hand, local clay resources have exhausted and they have to buy clay from other villages. The cost of firewood, another essential resource, has increased.

Even as problems pile up, diya-making is the only source of income for many families here. Hence, the wheels continue to spin, from one festival season to the other, and the long rows of lamps, displaying the great artistic sense of these artisans, continue to decorate our houses. And, hopes for a better future sustain.

(Translated by AP)