Sale of clay pots goes down

Being Mysore traditional city, in one side city is on the verge of losing Yelethoota, which is world famous for growing special variety of Mysore betel leaf, the another threat of extinction is decline in number of earthen pot makers and sellers.

At Kumbargeri and Paduvarhalli where more number of earthen pot makers and sellers were residing has come to extinct today. No pottery makers cab be seen here. Instead one can see the usual commercial establishments with shops and concrete residences all around.

Most of the potters who once did a roaring business and earned their livelihood by making and selling these pots, have completely stopped making pots, moving ahead with the times and are engaged in various others skills.

Though it was common in the bygone days to drink water stored in earthen pots (madake), this practice has stopped in this modern era of coolers and bottled refills. In spite of being Eco-friendly there is not much demand for these earthen pots.

There were around six-seven shops in Mandi Mohalla selling mud pots, but now it has come down to just 2 shops. As nobody in the city are making pots anymore, these few shops selling pots, bring them from nearby places like Arasikere, Keregavdu, Honganhalli, Malavalli, Nagamangala, KR Pet, Channapatna,Bannur and other surrounding places.

According to traders decline in the sale of earthen pots began more than a decade ago. Most of them don't want to give up the business as they have been selling it since the time of their ancestors and they do want their children to continue the same.

A pot seller Rajendra says, 'Our family is forcing me to sell fruits instead of pots. But I don't stop selling pots and in the meantime I also want my children to continue.' Rajendra, being a resident of Paduvarahalli, is doing this business since three decades.

At Nanjumalige two shops are selling earthen pots alongside various other house hold articles as they found the bitter truth that they can't survive by selling only earthen pots.

Sellers Radha and Venakatesh of Nanjumalige say, 'We cant depend only on earthen pot for livelihood. There is no business at all, so we are also into selling other household articles to survive.'