JORHAT, Feb 13 � The elegant earthen pots, manufactured by the delicate hands of women of the Meleng Kumar Gaon, here without using the potter�s wheel, �Kumar-Chak�, are still fulfilling the need of the locality. The traditional craft of earthen pot-making of the village once determined the economy of the entire village. But the new generation is not attracted towards the profession which, in the course of time, is sure to disappear from the area.
The sticky potter�s clay is dug out from a certain depth of the surface of the earth before the monsoon and preserved for using during the whole year. The male persons of the village help the women folk only in digging up the potter�s clay, burning the pots to strengthen them and sell them in the market. But the major role in shaping the designs of the items is played by the women of every household of the village. Tekeli (earthen jar), Kalah (earthen pot), Mala Charu (earthen vessel), Dhuna Dani (vessel to burn resin), Dhup Dani, earthen lamps and flower tubs are the common items they prepare with their skilled hands. They also design the Nagara and Hutuli, the two kinds of musical instruments used in Assamese folk music performances.
Though the village is only 16 km away from Jorhat town, the area is not developed. Poverty is apparent among the 28 families of the village, which have been still holding the craft. �During the rainy seasons, the flood caused by Meleng river comes up to the windowpane of the houses and people have to take shelter in higher places�, said Dulal Kalita, a villager.
�The little cultivation of rice we do is almost devastated by wild elephants�, Deobori Kalita, an artisan told this correspondent.
There is only one government serviceman in the village. Only two have graduated from the village till date. There is not even an LP school in the village.
The artisans of the village are unable to supply the high demand of the earthen pots. The number of such artisans is also gradually decreasing. The new generation is not ready to take up this craft as their profession. So the craft remains alive in the hands of the aged women of the village only.
�We have not received any help from the government�, said Numali Kalita, one potter of the village to this correspondent. While the handicraft and small scale industries have received prominence in recent times, the pottery of the Meleng Kumar Gaon still remains unnoticed and overlooked.
