Tuesday 16 April 2019

Revolving his Ancestors’ last Potter’s wheel


Hear me potter
Like a little lizard 
That travels with a cart, 
Perching on the wheel
I had traveled all the way with him 
Crossing many a wilderness
Have pity on me 
And make his funeral urn 
A little oversize



- Purananuru 256

With the excavation of a number of Mudhumakkal Thaazhis ( Earthen burial urns) whenever the land is dug for laying foundation to construct buildings, archaeologists have opined that  stretches of land in Irugur, a village on the outskirts of Coimbatore, could once be funerary sites of antiquity. It was a tradition in ancient Tamil society that the body of the dead would be placed in a large earthen urn and buried under the ground. With the urn symbolizing a mother’s womb and the dead body a fetus, ancient Tamils had a positive belief that death leads to rebirth.

Lyrics in Sangam literature call the man who makes earthen utensils as Kalamsei Ko (The potter, who makes earthen utensils). However, the vital role played by earthenware from kitchen to burial ground is history now after the advent of utensils made of metal.

“I do not know when and which of my ancestors pioneered making earthen utensils. But, I learned the art from my father and grandfather” says 76 year-old Sidhayyan, a potter from the Telugu-speaking Kulala community in Irugur.

He says that there would not be anyone in his family to continue his ancestors’ line of work. With the traditional occupation being in doldrums, his descendants lost interest in it and are working as lathe machine operators in the city.  

“Nevertheless, I still continue to be a potter, as I know only this occupation. At the same time, what the meager income I earn out of my work is just enough for my pocket money.” Sidhayyan informs.

The man points out that making pottery today is not as easy as it was in the past.

“My father used to extract clay from the Sulur Kulam and bring it loaded on bullock carts. But nowadays, we are not permitted to collect clay in the water body, as fishermen are given contracts to rear fish in the lake. Moreover, extraction of clay in the tank would also make its bund vulnerable to breach. With the discharge of industrial effluents, the Noyyal river in our village too has turned into a stagnated pool. So we have few chances to mine sand on the river bank either. However, we still make earthen vessels, but with the mud excavated at the sites of building construction. Though we buy a load of mud on a minidor auto at a price of Rs 400, the income we earn is too meager to suit the hard labour and time” worries Siddhayyan.

 The potter makes a variety of earthenware utensils that include Soppukudam, Thavalaikudam, Moda, Paanai, Sundachatti and Idlychatti, which were popular in the homes of yesteryear Coimbatore.  Besides, during festival times, Siddhayyan makes Uruvarams  (Earthen dolls), which the people buy from him and give as offering to Mariamman temples.     


The potter, assisted by his wife Rukmani, begins treading the clay in water in the appropriate early hours of the morning.

He throws the round, moist lump of clay on the head of the potter’s wheel. Then he revolves the wheel using a stick and makes the clay even by giving pressure with his hands. While the potter’s wheel revolves, the moist lump of clay yields to the creative hands of the potter to become beautiful earthen vessels.

No comments:

Post a Comment