by Bilal Bahadur
SRINAGAR: For the last half century, Kashmir’s pottery is completely marginalised. Part of the crisis was dictated by the consumer preference for using copperware, glassware and bone china in routine use pushing the earthenware to disuse.
While part of the potter flock has completely given up the profession and migrated to other areas, a small section remained stuck to the profession they inherited. They do not have a lot of work but they survive with certain basic things like the kundal – the earthen part, of the Kashmir fire pot, the Kangri, the tandoor, the traditional Kashmir oven used by the bakers and the Tumbakhnari, the musical instrument that is always n demand during the wedding season.
Insiders said that the traditional pottery has not received any intervention so that they could improve. The only intervention has been an electric wheel.
This year, however, some of the potters reported that the market exhibited a huge appetite for diyas, the traditional oil-fed lamps, that are being used during Diwali, the Hindu festival of lighting.
These lamps were made out of fashion the electric lamp and lot many alternatives. However, they survive as part of the tradition within and outside the Hindu temples. Some potters said they received orders for 20,000 lamps, which is huge.
