NALBARI, Nov 3 - With Diwali, the Festival of Lights, round the corner, the potters of Nalbari district are very busy in making earthen lamps and other wares.
The potters of Charia, Kulbil and Hirapara near Borgasa are now very busy. The womenfolk of these villages make the pottery wares with a special quality clay which is brought from Agyathuri area near Guwahati.
In Nalbari district, the potters have resolved to make about 20 lakh earthen lamps to illuminate the homestead of every Hindu family during the Diwali evening.
The potter families of Upen Das, Narayan Das, Bihuram Das, Prafulla Das, Dinesh Das, Bianca Das, Mahesh Das, Karna Das, Gahin Das, Damahu Das, Dhaneswar Das of Charia village have been earning their livelihood through the business of pottery since a long time.
While talking to this Correspondent, the artisans of the village said that they become very busy after Biswakarma Puja as celebration of various festivals begin. However, the market of earthenwares pick up during Diwali and continues till Magh Bihu.
The male members collect the clay and other essential material for this craft while the female members of the families are engaged in making the pottery wares. A wooden tool is used in making the products.
It may be mentioned here that women and girls of the Hits community of these villages are experts in making earthenware. However, it is the male members who sell the products house- to-house or in nearby markets. Some artisans bring their products for sale in markets of Nalbari town.
A senior artisan of Charia village Upen Das said that cheap plastic products from China, which have flooded the markets, are posing a serious threat to the traditional craft of pottery. It is the love and fondness of Assamese people towards this traditional craft that helps in keeping it alive, he admitted.
