Price Heats Up For Cooling Earthen Pots
Though the Earthen Pot also known as Matka continues to quench the thirst of millions in this country, its makers or potters face hard days.
There has been a high increase in the price of the earthen pots. The high price tag is the outcome of the trouble faced by potters involved in the traditional work of earthen pots.
The earthen pot manufacturer have been forced to increase the price due to non availability of raw material, high labour charges and soaring costs of the items required for the making of earthen pots.
A potter told that to make earthen pots special kind of soil is needed. Due to excessive excavation of land at various locations, collecting the required quantum of soil has become difficult.
He further informed that to obtain the special soil, potters have to cover long distances. Earlier the soil used was available in abundance but now its availability is restricted.
He said that pots are baked in a special furnace where dried cow dung cakes are used as fuel. The availability of cow dung caker too has become a big issue. Under no circumstance the cow dung can be substituted by any other mode of fuel use as it destroys the entire process of special baking required for earthen pots.
“We need to maintain constant temperature in furnace as any variation would destroy our toil. Application of wood and other form of heating is not permitted for the making of earthen pots,” the potter said.
Another potter said that due to changing times and due to public demand the traditional earthen pot have been replaced by modern design. Now people demand a tap connection fitted in the pot. The placement of tap in the pot is again a difficult process and a number of times the process damages the earthen pot.
The increase in price of earthen pots have adversely affected the people belonging to weaker section of society specially the labourers.
On an average earthen pot available for sale in the domestic market varies in between Rs40-90. The high price tag attached to the earthen pot however would restrict people belonging to economically weaker section of the society to opt for cool water in scorching weather.-Window To News
