JK Handicrafts deptt ropes in ‘Kral Koor’ to help revive pottery in Kashmir
14-02-2021: Jammu and Kashmir authorities after an engineer-turned-potter pitched for the revival of the dying artwork within the Valley, age-old custom of pottery.
Saima Shafi, 32, popularly often known as ‘Kral Koor’ (potter woman in Kashmiri), was lately invited by the state’s handicrafts division to share her experiences with the artisans of Beerwah in central Kashmir. During her interplay with the artisans, the overwhelming response for the revival of pottery in Kashmir made the handicrafts division official resolve that knowledge on such artisans will likely be collected with a view to work out schemes for them.
Shafi, who works as a junior engineer with the Public Works Department right here, requested the folks current on the operate to make sure that they educate the artwork of pottery to their future generations. “Curd still sets down best in an earthen container and clay pots have their effect on making the water sweeter and colder during the summers. One ought not to forget that while the wickerwork makes the Kashmiri Kangri a bright and cheerful sight, at its core is an earthen pot made by a potter,” she mentioned.
Urging artisans to not look solely on the authorities for assist, she requested them to get related to non-governmental organizations with a view to perceive the altering strategies on this commerce globally. Addressing the gathering, Shafi mentioned the time has come the place we have to carry the centuries-old custom of pottery again into trendy Kashmiri kitchens. She knowledgeable them that stoneware clay from Haryana could make utensils from the potter’s wheel and it will probably even be utilized in microwave ovens.
Later speaking to a gaggle of potters individually, Shafi informed them concerning the Burzahom archaeological website within the Kashmir valley, which has remnants of the stone age and is awaiting the UNESCO World Heritage Site standing. “During excavation, there were earthen pots discovered that had been made during the stone age. The place is very close to Srinagar city and tells the tale of ancient links to pottery. Please pass this art to your next generation so that we remain connected to our roots,” Shafi mentioned.
The civil engineer mentioned she learnt concerning the current irreverent state of pottery the day she began in search of an institute that may educate this artwork within the area. “If we know the trade, where are the institutes that teach this? Why are government schemes not popular among the potter community… These are questions that need to be answered,” she mentioned.
After her working hours and on weekends, Shafi frequents locations throughout the Valley that had been recognized for pottery a number of many years in the past. She visits the native potters, sparsely distributed within the area, to protect their conventional strategies for posterity. Her twin id of an engineer and a potter attracts shocked responses from these artisans.
