Potter’s wheel fails to find patrons

The tribe of humble potters in rural Andhra Pradesh is on the verge of extinction. Spending most of his time with the wheel in his professional life, the potter and the wheel make a good pair. As modernisation takes its toll on every aspect of rural life, this profession too has lost its charm and crying for attention from the younger generation to keeps the magical wheel spinning forever. However, the job mostly relies on the artistry of the magical hands which help an idea to translate into a shape turning the clay into an object of beauty describes T. Appala Naidu.

The colour of the magical hands changes depending on the mix of water and clay. The potter is left with a choice to give clay the right form that comes to his imagination. Photo: T. Appala Naidu

‘I am the last man standing in the profession in my family’, says a 60-year-old potter B. Nageswara Rao, belonging to Hussainpalem village near Machilipatnam. Photo: T. Appala Naidu

Despite having a huge market for clay objects made on the potter-wheel, lack of patronage among new generation is leading it to it’s natural death. A potter at work as he is observed by his father at Hussainpalem in Krishna District. Photo: T. Appala Naidu

The thought of the potter gets a perfect shape when his hands match the speed of the potter-wheel, known as ‘Saari’ in local parlance. Photo: T. Appala Naidu

A Potter is a great source of knowledge over the fast-paced wheel and in moulding clay into a desired shape. Photo: T. Appala Naidu

Pottery is one of the rural art forms that is on the verge of extinction. The number of craftsmen is dwindling even in rural parts of Krishna District. Photo: T. Appala Naidu

The potter-wheel and the potter man make a great pair as the latter spends most of his lifetime with the former. Photo: T. Appala Naidu

Despite having a huge market for clay objects made on the potter-wheel, lack of patronage among the new generation is leading it to it’s extinction. Photo: T. Appala Naidu

Pottery is one of the rural art works that is on the verge of extinction. The number of craftsmen is dwindling even in rural parts of Krishna District. Photo: T. Appala Naidu

The potter-wheel and the potter man make a great pair as the latter spends most of his lifetime with the former. Photo: T. Appala Naidu