Dying art of terracotta pottery gets new life in Gujarat

The dying art of terracotta pottery making has got a new lease of life here with the Gujarat government training artisans to fine tune their art with modern needs.

State government-promoted Matikam Kalakari and Rural Technology Institute (MKRTI), with the help of Central Glass and Ceramic Research Institute and designers from National Institute of Design and National Institute of Fashion Technology, is imparting training to potters in reinventing their products and designs so that they can be sold in the domestic as well as international market.

"Terracotta pottery makers are now making jewellery, wall clocks, vases and other decorative wares out of the red clay," Director MKRTI, R D Vaidya told PTI.

Prior to the technical intervention, the artisans were confined to making 'matkas', earthen pots used to store water, and other traditional kitchenware, he said.Artisans are encouraged to switch from the traditional hand operated potter's wheel to the ball bearing-based or an electrical chak to make terracotta items, he said.

The women of Prajapati clan, which is engaged in the business of pottery, have now begun using pug mills to make ready-to-use clay instead of preparing it with bare feet, he said.The introduction of technical skills to artisans by the Central Glass and Ceramic Research Institute, Naroda centre, has helped them invent new products and designs, Vaidya said.