Summer to boost Kendrapada potters' biz

Thanks to the arrival of summer season and people getting increasingly conscious about the ill-effect of consuming refrigerator water strait, the demand for earthen pitchers has gone high. Consequently, potters are now busy day-in and day-out to make thousands of pitchers here. Witnessing flowing activities of potter’s wheel turning gently on its axis, lump of clay wondrously acquiring shape, women kneading clay and children collecting sun-dried pitchers, one forgets for a few magic moments that traditional potters are a dying breed.

As the mercury level has started increasing, people have begun to explore many ways to beat the heat. Consequently, the sale of earthen pots and pitchers, which are popularly known as poor man’s fridge over the years, are increasing day by day. The denizens of Kendrapara seem to have taken a liking to the earthen pitcher that keeps water naturally cool and refreshing.

As a result, potters are a happy lot with sales of earthen pots increasing in the ongoing summer.

“I have sold over 60 earthen pitchers this week,” said Raju Behera, a potter of Manakarpur ..According to Santosh Behera, another potter, the sale of earthen pots has increased in last one week. People primarily demand pitchers that can hold 10 to 15 liters of water. “While the demand so far has been from households, but in the coming days shops and offices will come to our doorsteps to give order,” expects Santosh.

The potters have reasons to be happy as common people have grown health conscious these days and are avoiding consuming cold water from refrigerator straightaway. Naturally cooled water doesn’t cause any harm. It is rather refreshing,” said Sakuntala Behera, a housewife. “It is better to mix refrigerated water with normal water and drink, or to keep the cold water out in room temperature for some time before consuming it. Otherwise, the body reacts to the cold water leading to an upper respiratory track infection. Sore throat and fever are common during summer and intake of direct refrigerated water after getting exposed to the afternoon sun adds to the problem,” said Dr Baikuntha Panda, a medicine specialist here.

Dr Panda added that pots offer water at perfect temperature, which is neither too cold nor too hot. Two decades back, potters used to get good quality of riverside- earth for making pitchers. But the district administration has imposed restriction on the potters and others to lift earth from the riverside areas to prevent soil erosion. As a result, a large number of people of the artisan clan face problems to collect good quality earth, quipped the potters.