Kerala - Thrissur   

Reviving a vanishing tradition

— PHOTO: K.K. Najeeb

Arts and crafts: A tiled table on display at the pottery exhibition held in Thrissur.

Thrissur: It was a celebration of creativity and commitment to revive a vanishing traditional craft. Exquisite collection of eco-friendly kitchen ware, framed murals, home decors and many other accessories were on display at a two-day pottery exhibition at Ayyanthole that concluded on Sunday.

Organised by the Kerala State Institute of Design and ‘Kumbam’, an initiative among potters community of Aravacode, Nilambur, the fair offered elegant options for kitchen, dining room, living room as well as gardens and walls.

“When I started my initiative in 1993, my effort was to boost the morale and the self-confidence of an impoverished artisan community which was on the verge of dissolution,” says K.B. Jinan, a designer and brain behind the initiative. “I followed a ‘do-nothing’ teaching method. I encouraged the potters to rehabilitate themselves through the very craft they had been alienated from.”

He tried to engage the community in reinventing the traditional pottery to cater to the needs of contemporary lifestyle. Now about 80-odd families earn their livelihood through this initiative. Their product range varies from microwave-friendly terracotta products to interior decors.

“Consumer culture has swept into the lives of thousands of artisans” he says. “Much patience and sensitivity go into the making of earthen products. Its constant use endows one with an emotional sensitivity that reflects in one’s approach to life and other human beings.” Sensing the increasing demand for health-friendly cookware, the exhibition has re-introduced many traditional utensils. ‘Enable artisan’, an attempt to work with young potters, is another dream project of ‘Kumbam’, for which it is looking for people who are willing to cooperate.

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