150 potters to make Bapu's mural to celebrate his 150th birth anniversary next yr

The Khadi and Village Industries Commission said it has decided to celebrate Mahatma Gandhi's 150th birth anniversary by installing his large wall mural that symbolises cultural integrity and unity of the country.

KVIC chairman Vinai Kumar Saxena inaugurated a two-day workshop-cum-training programme named 'Technology for Modern Pottery' at Bishampur village of Sewapuri, Varanasi, Friday.

"It is a joint effort of skilled 150 potters from all over the country to give tribute to Rashtrapita Mahatma Gandhi," he said.

According to a press release issued by the commission, the KVIC has decided to make 150 square meters wall mural, using 'chai kulhad (earthen tea cup)'.

"While Each 'chai kulhad' will be one pixel of the entire image, small terracotta parts will come together to form the entire image. As this mural will become a finite entity formed by a simple unit of larger generality, the KVIC will showcase it in some prominent place in New Delhi," it said.

Saxena further said that the KVIC has already started identifying 150 potters from different parts of the country to produce the 'chai kulhads' for this purpose.

The selected potters will produce the 'chai kulhads' in stipulated size, shape and finish them, as India has a great pottery tradition and different parts of the country has diversified techniques of production of clay articles, the commission said.

The KVIC has so far in this financial year distributed 4,700 electric potter wheels in different parts of the country and by March 31 it is planning to distribute additional 7,000 electric potter wheels, it said.