Near Jajpur town is nestled one of the oldest potters’ settlements. Known as Kumbharsahi, the habitation in the district was established before the establishment of Jajpur Municipality.
Thanks to the arrival of summer season, potters are overworking to meet deadline as they have been asked to meet orders for thousands of pitchers.
There are 60 families in the settlement which are still stuck to their age-old profession. Witnessing the flowing activities of the potter’s wheel turning gently on its axis , the lump of clay wondrously acquiring shape, the women kneading clay, the children collecting sun-dried pitchers, one forgets for a few magic moments that traditional potters are a dying breed.
Bespectacled, 75-year-old ebony-skinned Kartika Behera is the leader here. Despite his age, he has the ability to turn out more than 50 pitchers a day to meet the huge demand of pitchers for summer season.
Pitchers are in high demand these days for keeping water cool. Besides, pitchers are used for various religious rites and socio-cultural functions.
“Our scope for work is restricted now. We make diyas during Diwali, pitchers in summer, flower-pots, jars and sundry items throughout the year. But these sell at dismally low prices, and sales are generally slack, barring summer time,” said Behera.
With the arrival of summer, the 100-odd potters are busy, giving the final touches to the earthen pitchers to meet huge demands from the people.
“Of late, we are also been making earthen water coolers and jars keeping in view their high demand,” said Ranjan Behera(65) a potter.
The demand for pitchers remains steady in summer season despite the emergence of refrigerators, said Saroj Behera (45) a potter of Kumbharsahi.
“Two decades back, potters used to get good quality of riverside- earth for making pitchers. But, now-a-days , the district administration imposed restriction on the potters and others to lift earth from the riverside areas. This is to prevent soil erosion. But due to this, a large number of potters face problems to collect quality earth,” lamented potter Rajanikanta Behera.