Varanasi. The Uttar Pradesh government continuously encourages clay artisans. The continued promotion of materials made by potters along with the electric wheel and subsidization of electricity bills by the government has once again begun to color the lives of potters.
The occasion is Diwali, when lamps are lit in every house. Nowadays, earthen lamps are in higher demand in the Varanasi market compared to Chinese lamps. A large number of people are preferring clay lamps that are made with a lot of work by potters, leaving aside the lights and fringes. Due to increased demand in the market, the art of making clay material has increased, which is on the verge of extinction in many villages in Banaras.
Local Vocal slogan is coming true, demand for Lord Ganesha and Lakshmi idol with lamp on Diwali
The government’s continuous awareness campaign with the slogan Local for Vocal has given life to the potters. Before Diwali, Chhath and Devdeepawali, potters receive many orders from the market. Hiralal Prajapati, a potter from Phulwariya, says he has kept the craft inherited from his ancestors alive and this is how his family sustains itself. A few years ago, Chinese chandeliers and lights on the market caused great damage to this art. So his son abandoned this trade and began working as a private laborer. For the past few years, the government has promoted clay crafts and instead of manual wheels, they got free electric wheels. After the slogan of Local for Vocal by the government, materials made of clay have started to become popular in the market. Once again his son has left his private job and returned to traditional crafts. Idols of Lord Ganesha and Lakshmi made of clay along with earthen lamps also please people during Diwali. This is the reason why the artisans are getting much more demand in the markets than before for the clay idols of Lord Ganesha and Lakshmi.
Availability of clay is becoming a problem for potters, the potters demanded from the government.
Potters associated with clay art say that compared to previous years, the clay material made by them is now sold in the market at a nominal price. According to Savitri Devi, who makes clay materials at Phulwaria Pottery Basti, due to the increase in demand for clay pots and other materials, both her work and income have increased, but along with this, potters like her also face the big problem of not getting clay. Sushil Kumar Sharma of Kumhar Basti said that due to the ban on mining by the government, the price of land has increased significantly. Clay potters used to get Rs 1,000 per tractor cart, now their price has gone up from Rs 4,000 to Rs 5,000. In such a situation, clay artisans receive orders from the market, but due to non-availability of clay they cannot fulfill the orders. In such a situation, the government should pay special attention to this problem of potters. So that the clay can be available to the people of the pottery community at a more affordable price.
