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Journalism of Courage
In a lane behind Paharganjs main bazaar,rows of small clay diyas lie carelessly along the dusty track. I have left them here to dry, says a soft voice behind us. It is noon and 40-year old potter Rajkumar is busy moulding a clay hatti (earthen lamp) on his motorised potters wheel.
Please make yourself comfortable, he says,offering us an inverted clay pot as a makeshift seat. Rajkumar is a seventh-generation potter at Paharganjs pottery market,who has been moulding clay since the age of 14. His grandfather shifted here from Alwar,Rajasthan,before Independence and the family has been shaping clay objects since then. It is a family occupation. My grandfather moved here in search of better job opportunities and we have been operating from this shanty hut for over 80 years, says Rajkumar,who also gives summer coaching classes in clay modelling to school children at Bal Bhawan,Rail Museum and a few schools.
A self-taught man,Rajkumar picked up the basics of his craft by observing his father and went on to develop his own style. You need to be able to think for yourself while making diyas as your creativity needs to be visible in the designs, he explains,saying that it took him a month to design his first diya,after many failed attempts. Over the years,technology has lent a helping hand,with the motorised potters wheel replacing the manual potters wheel. This is easier to handle as one can focus on moulding the clay rather than rotating the wheel. But one needs to monitor the amount of water and the speed of the wheel, he adds.
In recent times,business has dipped,with people opting for electric lights to light up their homes. But Rajkumar has steadily been fashioning 40-50 lamps every day. These diyas have been ordered by my customers, he says,pointing to the cluster of hattis drying in the sun. The prices have not changed much over the years keeping in mind the competition,he sells a set of 100 diyas for Rs 25. We have not started making diyas for ourselves yet. We usually end up scouring the house for spare diyas when Diwali arrives, he says,getting back to moulding his hatti.
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