ZANGAM, KASHMIR, INDIA – Mohammad Subhan, 75, has been in the pottery business for more than 40 years in Zangam, a village in Jammu and Kashmir state. But he says that the industry isn’t what it used to be.
“The art has of course declined to a large extent,” he says.
Subhan leaves his house at around 8:30 a.m. to sell his pottery in adjoining areas, such as Shoodpora, Hanjeevera and Buren, and places farther away in the district, such as Kunzer, Tangmarg and Uri. He sells his goods in exchange for grain and grass. He finishes his work by 1 p.m. and carries his earnings back home.
“This is my earning for a day,” he says, pointing at the grain and grass. “In morning, I carried vessels on my shoulders to sell them and in evening brought grass and grain on shoulders in return. This is how our life goes on.”
Subhan says that potters’ work declines to a large extent during the winter months because of the harsh weather.
“During winters, we mostly work on old stuff that has been left over,” he says, referring to extra raw materials. “For remaining part of winter season, we are jobless.”
His wife assists him in his work, but he says his four children aren’t interested in it at all. After completing 10th grade, his son began working as a laborer. His eldest daughter is married. His youngest children are studying in school.
Making pottery has provided a livelihood for various families in the region for generations. But they admit the industry is declining because of a fall in demand for their goods. Members of the younger generation say they aren’t interested in carrying it forward. Still, potters say they hope the tradition will continue, as the government offers schemes to support artisans.
In an impoverished area of Zangam village, a group of 15 households are all involved in the pottery industry. The art has been handed down for generations, but villagers say it is now declining.
Mohammad Sultan, the village head, says that the community has been associated with this art for generations, although he retired from it a couple of years ago.
Explaining how to make pottery, Sultan says that the potters use a special kind of soil that they obtain from the hills.
“Then women sift it – take out roots, grass and twigs from it – pour water over it and make it as a fine mixture,” he says. “Later, men make articles out of it.”
They make the articles on a potter’s wheel and then dry the goods in the sunlight. Later, they heat the goods in a kiln for two to three days, putting cow dung in between the articles to hasten the heating process.
“We’ve to purchase wood for heating purpose, and these kilns are in our compounds,” Sultan says. “Two or three families share a kiln.”
But some villagers say this causes health problems.
“The smoke that comes out of these kilns is injurious to health, and we face health problems like asthma,” says local Sarwar Begum, a common last name here.
She adds that during the summer season, the outdoor kilns create an especially smoky environment in the compounds. But she says it’s inevitable.
“We’ve no option,” she says.
She says that the government should provide them with chimneys.
Mohammad Ramzan Kumar, a father of three children, is also a potter in Zangam.
“We are landless laborers and are dependent on this art for our sustenance,” he says.
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